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[Boss Doggie]

So has the gem - cash ratio gone better or is it terrible?

 

[oktarb]

So has the gem - cash ratio gone better or is it terrible?

As of last night it was still pretty low. I'd wait a week or two for it to stabilize.

 

[Levyne]

So has the gem - cash ratio gone better or is it terrible?

Huh? Cash-> Gem ratio is fixed. Gem->Gold ratio I think is decent if you have like allowance of sorts that you want to get some in game spending money with. Gold->Gems has gotten worse due to lots of desirable gem shop items recently. At least that's my take.

 

[Jest Chillin]

Of course the "in the fashion that it is" part is accurate, I'm just recognizing that you didn't say that... you used two kind of faulty premises:

1) Only a fraction of the population participates in fractals <- this is true of literally every type of content in the game. There is a segment of the playerbase that never leaves the Mists, let alone participates in any particular type of PvE instance. I think what you were trying to say it was that it was an inordinately unpopular dungeon, using the anecdotal evidence of our guild, but it should be obvious why that's a bad idea. A quick jaunt to gw2lfg indicates that it's the second most popular dungeon in the game, and in fact only loses to CoF by 3 listings at the moment.

Well that's just nitpicking. Plenty of the playerbase spends a little time in multiple areas. DE's, regular dungeons, WvW, S/TPvP. And I use the anecdotal evidence of Gaf Guild because we're a good mix of players interested in varied activities. It's a better metric than gw2lfg because that site is only used for dungeon running and particularly used when people have trouble finding groups within their own guilds/servers. Fractals being number 2 on the list just means that it's the second most popular dungeon for those that run dungeons AND use that site. Both our points use anecdotal evidence but mine uses a mixed control while yours uses a very specific control. Since my point has nothing to do with what's most popular among dungeon runners but what's popular with the community overall.. the gw2lfg metrics aren't a good indicator.

2) Anet didn't put Fractals in to please the playerbase as a whole <- that's different than saying "Anet didn't implement Fractal level scaling to please the playerbase as a whole," a sentiment I would wholeheartedly agree with. I mean, sure, adding new content isn't ever going to please the entire in-game population, but it's added to please as many players as possible and that was the case with Fractals too.

On a lesser note, I find the stat boost wholly irrelevant and could take it or leave it with regard to whether or not it was planned... but I'd be hard pressed to say that Agony wasn't part of the intended design of Fractals from the beginning. But the beauty of the whole thing is that you can literally experience every Fractal from start to finish (albeit not the most mechanically complex version of each) without any Agony Resistance.

Jira says Ascended was always intended to be in-game but didn't make launch. That very well could be the case. But what I'm talking about in my discussion with Weltall is specifically the additional stats added to the gear. That is what our discussion is about so that is what my statements are geared towards. They're not faulty premises because they're true in the context of that discussion.

How much of GW2's population do you think really wants a raid-like experience? And I'm speaking in terms higher level difficulty with vertical tiers of gear to gate the next highest level of difficulty? I don't think it's very much in comparison to the whole as the game wasn't ever billed or designed to be that. Anet's not going to turn those players away though because they're not stupid. So they instituted a version of their own to satiate that player archetype. I'm sure it was always planned to be ongoing. I'm sure Agony was always apart of that plan as well. But the higher stats were added for the vertical gear progression crowd. Without those higher stats, Ascended is not a different tier but an alternate side-grade made for specific content.

 

[Hawkian]

Well that's just nitpicking. Plenty of the playerbase spends a little time in multiple areas. DE's, regular dungeons, WvW, S/TPvP.

Yes... I'm one of them.

And I use the anecdotal evidence of Gaf Guild because we're a good mix of players interested in varied activities. It's a better metric than gw2lfg because that site is only used for dungeon running and particularly used when people have trouble finding groups within their own guilds/servers.

Come on, you can't really think this is solid? When I said that it was anecdotal in comparison to the data from GW2LFG, I meant because it was based on your personal perception of the behavior of our guild, which isn't comprehensive. Nor would even a universal observation of the behavior of our entire guild's active playerbase over, say, a week of time, be all that much better. You're very close to using the same logic here that people use when they say, "My guild is empty, no one ever logs in or wants to do anything anymore, therefore the game is dying."

If I were going to make an anecdotal argument regarding fractals drawing from our guild, it would be, "when Fractals were first released 5 months ago, people in guild chat were running them constantly, way more than any other content type in the game, followed by a gradual tapering off. This has been the case for literally every content addition to the game at the moment in time of its initial release, from the AC redesigns to the Braham/Rox story instances to the SAB. If this past behavior is any indication, when new Fractals are added to the game, running them will become immensely popular for a short period again."

However, I'm not making this argument because it's not the strongest one available to me; our guild is both a relatively small sample size (especially the number of players present at any given time from the perspective of any individual observer) and because I don't consider us to be an adequate representation of the long-term behavior of any particular group of players, let alone every subset.

I went to GW2LFG because it's large and constantly active. 150 listings have been created within the last half hour. The activity on that site represents a substantial amount of in-game activity- way more people than we have online in our guild at any given time, know what I mean? So my data used a controlled sample, yes, but a massively higher sample size at the same time.

Fractals being number 2 on the list just means that it's the second most popular dungeon for those that run dungeons AND use that site. Both our points use anecdotal evidence but mine uses a mixed control while yours uses a very specific control. Since my point has nothing to do with what's most popular among dungeon runners but what's popular with the community overall.. the gw2lfg metrics aren't a good indicator.

Of course listings on GW2LFG are self-selecting for people who want to run that content. I guess you're right that it's anecdotal in that I'm just looking at it now for the last hour's worth of listings, but there's been little variation in the ratio of participation for sample sizes this large regardless of the time and date I've checked the site. It's almost like you're arguing there aren't a significant number of people in-game running CoF, either, because no matter how many listings there are on that site for it, it doesn't compare it to how many people might be crafting at that moment.

Jira says Ascended was always intended to be in-game but didn't make launch. That very well could be the case. But what I'm talking about in my discussion with Weltall is specifically the additional stats added to the gear. That is what our discussion is about so that is what my statements are geared towards. They're not faulty premises because they're true in the context of that discussion.

Well, I apologize for getting in the middle of your argument, I just thought that you generalized a clear step too far in that post. You said "Only a fraction of the population participates in fractals" with our guild's activity as your justification. I didn't think that had any particularly extenuating context based on what you were discussing with Weltall. I think he's making a number of untenable assumptions about what is inevitable for the game as well, I just don't think that particular line is a compelling rebuttal.

How much of GW2's population do you think really wants a raid-like experience?

I'm not going to make up a number. Very few.

And I'm speaking in terms higher level difficulty with vertical tiers of gear to gate the next highest level of difficulty?

Fewer.

I don't think it's very much in comparison to the whole as the game wasn't ever billed or designed to be that. Anet's not going to turn those players away though because they're not stupid. So they instituted a version of their own to satiate that player archetype. I'm sure it was always planned to be ongoing. I'm sure Agony was always apart of that plan as well. But the higher stats were added for the vertical gear progression crowd. Without those higher stats, Ascended is not a different tier but an alternate side-grade made for specific content.

That all sounds more or less right, yep.

Again, I defer to the list of stuffs that would be ideal for me going forward. I think Fractals is representative of a somewhat brilliant compromise between gameplay compulsions for different groups of players, and I hope they follow the precedent it sets in terms of content, unrelated to gear.

 

[Wallach]

There's a PvP focused stream session going on on GW2's official channel starting right now:

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2

Not sure what it is about exactly.

 

[Jest Chillin]

Yes... I'm one of them.

Come on, you can't really think this is solid? When I said that it was anecdotal in comparison to the data from GW2LFG, I meant because it was based on your personal perception of the behavior of our guild, which isn't comprehensive. Nor would even a universal observation of the behavior of our entire guild's active playerbase over, say, a week of time, be all that much better. You're very close to using the same logic here that people use when they say, "My guild is empty, no one ever logs in or wants to do anything anymore, therefore the game is dying."

No because I'm not stating that my perception is a 100% accurate measurement. It should be obvious that no one but Arena Net could be accurate. I mentioned our Guild Activity as a vague barometer. Sure it's a small group but there is no way to measure a larger number. My perception is based on guild chat at all hours of the day, over the past few months.

If I were going to make an anecdotal argument regarding fractals drawing from our guild, it would be, "when Fractals were first released 5 months ago, people in guild chat were running them constantly, way more than any other content type in the game, followed by a gradual tapering off. This has been the case for literally every content addition to the game at the moment in time of its initial release, from the AC redesigns to the Braham/Rox story instances to the SAB. If this past behavior is any indication, when new Fractals are added to the game, running them will become immensely popular for a short period again."

However, I'm not making this argument because it's not the strongest one available to me; our guild is both a relatively small sample size (especially the number of players present at any given time from the perspective of any individual observer) and because I don't consider us to be an adequate representation of the long-term behavior of any particular group of players, let alone every subset.

Starting popular and tapering off indeed happens to everything. However some activities retain worse than others. Where the activity sits in popularity once it's tapered off is the telling metric. And I'd say Gaf is, by it's very nature the best mix with which to gauge poplarity of activities because we are so varied in interests, playstyle, and lifestyle. We don't need to represent one subset strongly for the purposes of sampling opinions because that isn't the goal.

The question isn't "Out of those who run dungeons, how many enjoy Fractals?" It's "Out of the entire game population, how many are playing specifically for Fractals?"

I went to GW2LFG because it's large and constantly active. 150 listings have been created within the last half hour. The activity on that site represents a substantial amount of in-game activity- way more people than we have online in our guild at any given time, know what I mean? So my data used a controlled sample, yes, but a massively higher sample size at the same time.

Of course listings on GW2LFG are self-selecting for people who want to run that content. I guess you're right that it's anecdotal in that I'm just looking at it now for the last hour's worth of listings, but there's been little variation in the ratio of participation for sample sizes this large regardless of the time and date I've checked the site. It's almost like you're arguing there aren't a significant number of people in-game running CoF, either, because no matter how many listings there are on that site for it, it doesn't compare it to how many people might be crafting at that moment.

Size doesn't matter in terms of samples unless you're looking for an accurate determination of outliers or you want extremely accurate percentages. 2/10 or 20/100 amounts to the same thing. But your sample doesn't apply because it's a biased pool.

Well, I apologize for getting in the middle of your argument, I just thought that you generalized a clear step too far in that post. You said "Only a fraction of the population participates in fractals" with our guild's activity as your justification. I didn't think that had any particularly extenuating context based on what you were discussing with Weltall. I think he's making a number of untenable assumptions about what is inevitable for the game as well, I just don't think that particular line is a compelling rebuttal.

Anyone can jump in the conversation so there's no qualms there but you're just interpreting what I'm saying in a way that isn't intended. It's not about Fractals being bad or unpopular but about there being a rather small contingent of players only playing for that content. My point overall being that there isn't so many players driven by that content to drive Anet to abandon their current course and go with a standard treadmill in order to keep them.

Again, I defer to the list of stuffs that would be ideal for me going forward. I think Fractals is representative of a somewhat brilliant compromise between gameplay compulsions for different groups of players, and I hope they follow the precedent it sets in terms of content, unrelated to gear.

I agree and I think most players share the sentiment.

 

[Weltall Zero]

It's not denial at all. GW2 players are different.

There's no such thing as "GW2 players", especially not what you want to make of them. You're just using the "true Scotsman" fallacy.

Only a fraction of the population participates in fractals (judging by our own Guild members stating how difficult it is to find groups for them compared to finding groups for other content).

Because other content doesn't fracture the playerbase as fractals do. You'll notice Fractals is still the most requested content for groups.

A new "level" of materials would be a new tier. If it creates a higher stat item, it's a new tier. Seeing as how I don't believe they'll introduce higher stat items than Ascended, I don't think they'll add a new tier. They'll add sidegrade materials. Like they've done with the azurite.

I don't understand what it is that you don't understand about making blue and green items for level 81-90. You'll have to explain to me what is exactly unintelligible about that concept.

That's FAR from the exact same wording. Anet acknowledges expansions and the idea of one though they're not working on one now. On the other hand they deny even having plans for future tiers of gear.

It's the exact same for me. Your mileage may vary. Don't want to spend the rest of the thread splitting hairs.

Actually, for all your in-depth analysis of a quick fun response... that's just the way that Colin talks. He's having fun with the fact that the players know Anet's stance on things like "When it's ready." You're reading between the lines of a tongue in cheek response to get out of it what you want. I'm taking the statement at face value. That's the difference in our interpretation.

So let me get this straight. The response neither confirms nor denies that there will be new tiers in the future. I acknowledge that the response doesn't deny or confirm new tiers. You construe it as a confirmation of there not being new tiers ever. And I'm "reading between lines to get out what I want"?

Sorry, no offense, but I think I'm done on this matter. It's beyond pointless at this point. :/

 

[Weltall Zero]

I don't want my gear to become obsolete q

The good thing about GW2 is that the hardest-to-obtain items are different primarily because of their looks. Meaning that a simple transmutation stone will solve all your problems in that regard.

Someone here had a good idea. Just covert all conditions (except burning and chilled maybe?) into a new condition called disrepair or something for buildings. Make it slightly stronger than bleeding.

Chilled would be pretty worthless against structures anyway, I don't think they use skills But yeah a universal DOT sounds good.

They could even make several building conditions, corresponding to each normal condition. Extreme cold makes hard materials brittle, i.e. more vulnerable; it could function as vulnerability.

And I use the anecdotal evidence of Gaf Guild because we're a good mix of players interested in varied activities. It's a better metric than gw2lfg because that site is only used for dungeon running and particularly used when people have trouble finding groups within their own guilds/servers. Fractals being number 2 on the list just means that it's the second most popular dungeon for those that run dungeons AND use that site. Both our points use anecdotal evidence but mine uses a mixed control while yours uses a very specific control. Since my point has nothing to do with what's most popular among dungeon runners but what's popular with the community overall.. the gw2lfg metrics aren't a good indicator.

You cannot seriously think that, can you? The aggregate statistics of the most-used GW2 matchmaking site are not as good as indicator as your own subjective experience looking at guild chat? This is so absurd I don't even know where to begin.

How much of GW2's population do you think really wants a raid-like experience? And I'm speaking in terms higher level difficulty with vertical tiers of gear to gate the next highest level of difficulty?

That's cool to know, because for the THIRD TIME, I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. Would you kindly listen to what I'm saying? I'm talking about REGULAR EQUIPMENT to support REGULAR LEVELING through REGULAR ZONES of level 81-90. You know, exactly like WoW's expansions? I wish you stopped fabricating out of thin air all this stuff about new qualities of items and dungeon progression just so you can have a ridiculous strawman to attack.

 

[Hawkian]

The good thing about GW2 is that the hardest-to-obtain items are different primarily because of their looks. Meaning that a simple transmutation stone will solve all your problems in that regard.

Haha, that's the problem, not the solution. I don't see the merit in needing to waste a transmutation stone to keep the look I want but upgrade the stats, simply because an item I considered "done" is outclassed by objectively better gear at a higher level. I already used one to get the "final" stats I want with the look I want. Having to repeat that process just to keep the look I want because all my gear was rendered obsolete in one fell swoop would not be ideal.

Maybe there could be some way to upgrade existing items instead, eliminating both the need to acquire a piece of new gear and use a transmutation crystal? I just don't think following the WoW expansion model part-for-part here would be particularly compelling.

The question isn't "Out of those who run dungeons, how many enjoy Fractals?" It's "Out of the entire game population, how many are playing specifically for Fractals?"

Ah, okay, I see where we're maybe getting off the track here. Essentially, it will always be impossible to be determine how many players are playing specifically for one type of content. In response to what you said, the question from my perspective wasn't either of those, but "Out of the entire game population, how many enjoy fractals?" See the two disparate halves of the questions you asked?

Any metric we use to try and gauge this is going to be imperfect, so I'm happy to just leave it as unanswerable. I just felt that in attempting to answer my more general question, GW2LFG was a massively better indicator that your experience in guild chat.

 

[Cels]

Anet has said that they always expected to increase the level cap at some point. Maybe they've changed their minds in the eight (!) months since release but I would expect them to follow through with those plans for the paid expansion.

Now how they handle the impact to the existing game systems is anyone's guess, but they could just pull a WoW and add new tiers of trees/ore/herbs, 475(?) crafting, armor, etc. I hope they'll do something more creative than that.

 

[Jest Chillin]

There's no such thing as "GW2 players", especially not what you want to make of them. You're just using the "true Scotsman" fallacy.

No. A True Scotsman fallacy would be if I said that "GW2 players don't like dungeons," which is not what I'm saying. I'm saying that those who are actively playing GW2 aren't driven by a Gear Treadmill. The crux of your point rests on a (paraphrasing) 'All MMO players are the same and have the same interests and Anet knows that' type of logic. It's untrue.

Because other content doesn't fracture the playerbase as fractals do. You'll notice Fractals is still the most requested content for groups.

Well CoF is typically the most requested due to the money aspect but Fractals having a higher ceiling ensures that those who want top rewards must do fractals moreso than those doing regular dungeons for gear. Basically you "get everything" from regular dungeons faster than you do for Fractals, and as a result people will be doing fractals more.

I don't understand what it is that you don't understand about making blue and green items for level 81-90. You'll have to explain to me what is exactly unintelligible about that concept.

Quality level doesn't matter if the stats are higher. Blue or Green items with better stats than Exotics would be a Higher Tier than Exotics. Same with Materials farmed.

It's the exact same for me. Your mileage may vary. Don't want to spend the rest of the thread splitting hairs.

My "mileage" as you put it is taking the statements literally. There's no interpretation on my part. The two statements mean different things.

So let me get this straight. The response neither confirms nor denies that there will be new tiers in the future. I acknowledge that the response doesn't deny or confirm new tiers. You construe it as a confirmation of there not being new tiers ever. And I'm "reading between lines to get out what I want"?

Sorry, no offense, but I think I'm done on this matter. It's beyond pointless at this point. :/

The statement squarely denies any work towards or plans for new tiers. It literally says "We have no plans to add higher tiers right now, nor are we working on it." The very next statement says "no guarantees" because no company in the world makes lifetime guarantees because it can very easily bite them in the ass.

The good thing about GW2 is that the hardest-to-obtain items are different primarily because of their looks. Meaning that a simple transmutation stone will solve all your problems in that regard.

Transmuting Legendaries to upscale the stats is problematic. Transmutation stones of that level are rng or need to be purchased with cash. After a player has already gone through the arduous process of acquiring their Legendary, they shouldn't be forced to then have to do additional steps because Anet didn't plan things accordingly. This is why Anet has said when Ascended Weapons are released, they'll "upscale" the stats. However it's yet to be confirmed that I've seen, that this applies to Transmuted Legendaries.

You cannot seriously think that, can you? The aggregate statistics of the most-used GW2 matchmaking site are not as good as indicator as your own subjective experience looking at guild chat? This is so absurd I don't even know where to begin.

If you want to know "How many people like Pizza?" you don't poll exclusively at Pizza places. It's a biased selection sample.

That's cool to know, because for the THIRD TIME, I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. Would you kindly listen to what I'm saying? I'm talking about REGULAR EQUIPMENT to support REGULAR LEVELING through REGULAR ZONES of level 81-90. You know, exactly like WoW's expansions? I wish you stopped fabricating out of thin air all this stuff about new qualities of items and dungeon progression just so you can have a ridiculous strawman to attack.

Quality doesn't determine Tier, Stats do. WoW's expansions introduce new tiers of gear.

Any metric we use to try and gauge this is going to be imperfect, so I'm happy to just leave it as unanswerable. I just felt that in attempting to answer my more general question, GW2LFG was a massively better indicator that your experience in guild chat.

Yeah I knew right away that you were interpreting my words differently than I intended. But yeah, there's no way to accurately ascertain that. All we can do is best case guesses. And yes, when talking about which dungeon experiences people enjoy/want to run, then GW2LFG would be the best indicator outside of Anet's own metrics (that I don't think they release).

 

[Lone_Prodigy]

I think I should start converting some of my gold to gems. The rate just keeps going up.

 

[Weltall Zero]

I wanted to clarify something.

Quality doesn't determine Tier, Stats do. WoW's expansions introduce new tiers of gear.

WoW is a bad example because unlike GW2, items with the same qualities at the same character level have different stats budgets (that's why they have a separate item level). That is NOT what I'm talking about.

In Guild Wars 2, an item of the same quality and level has the same stat budget. I'm NOT referring to adding items with better stats per level and quality, simply more levels. Damn, I feel like I'm stating the obvious: it the level cap is raised, new items will be needed to be equipped at level 90, and therefore new materials to create them.

There are many reasons why raising the level cap is good if not crucial:
1) It gives players an incentive to play the new content. Are you really advocating having the entire expansion taking place at level (or level X to 80) and playing through it in the knowledge that you will literally get no drop or heart reward that will be even close to being as good as anything you have?
2) It levels the playing field for players new to the game (obviously, as old time players, we might not see this as a plus).
3) It gives players an incentive to BUY the expansion. We in this thread are GW2 hardcore fans and will do it all the same, but there are lots of players who bought GW2, leveled to 80, and pretty much quit. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much more likely do you think these players are to buy the expansion if it includes levelling up, versus not raising the cap?

That said, you may dispute whether they'll raise the level cap or not. But arguing that they may raise the level cap AND not introduce new tiers of materials makes no sense whatsoever. At least we can agree on this?

 

[Ashodin]

Jest has been on a devil's advocate kick lately

 

[Jest Chillin]

I wanted to clarify something.



WoW is a bad example because unlike GW2, items with the same qualities at the same character level have different stats budgets (that's why they have a separate item level). That is NOT what I'm talking about.

In Guild Wars 2, an item of the same quality and level has the same stat budget. I'm NOT referring to adding items with better stats per level and quality, simply more levels. Damn, I feel like I'm stating the obvious: it the level cap is raised, new items will be needed to be equipped at level 90, and therefore new materials to create them.

There are many reasons why raising the level cap is good if not crucial:
1) It gives players an incentive to play the new content. Are you really advocating having the entire expansion taking place at level (or level X to 80) and playing through it in the knowledge that you will literally get no drop or heart reward that will be even close to being as good as anything you have?
2) It levels the playing field for players new to the game (obviously, as old time players, we might not see this as a plus).
3) It gives players an incentive to BUY the expansion. We in this thread are GW2 hardcore fans and will do it all the same, but there are lots of players who bought GW2, leveled to 80, and pretty much quit. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much more likely do you think these players are to buy the expansion if it includes levelling up, versus not raising the cap?

That said, you may dispute whether they'll raise the level cap or not. But arguing that they may raise the level cap AND not introduce new tiers of materials makes no sense whatsoever. At least we can agree on this?

GW1 had 3 expansions. None of which raised level cap. They added more skills and new gear that was lateral progression. The same can be done in GW2 with new weapons and new Utilities.

The fact that they've done this before and had success makes me believe they will do it again. And yes, my stance has always been that I don't believe they'll increase the cap or add higher stat items.

 

[Retro]

A new Guild Challenge complete;

 

[Complistic]

guild challenges were extra epic tonight. Finishing the bounty after the timer expired and 1 second left on that crystal reset. So much fun.

 

[Retro]

guild challenges were extra epic tonight. Finishing the bounty after the timer expired and 1 second left on that crystal reset. So much fun.

That, and I'm shocked at how good we're getting at Treks. I'm sure a few people are looking them up, but it's not rapid-fire or obvious like a couple people were doing early on so it's not quite as big a problem.

 

[Weltall Zero]

GW1 had 3 expansions. None of which raised level cap. They added more skills and new gear that was lateral progression. The same can be done in GW2 with new weapons and new Utilities.

The fact that they've done this before and had success makes me believe they will do it again. And yes, my stance has always been that I don't believe they'll increase the cap or add higher stat items.

GW2 is not GW1. In terms of progression, it has elements from both GW1 and traditional MMOs. I's pretty obvious they're trying to go after both markets, which unfortunately seems to have alienated some players from both; many GW1 fans don't like GW2, and many traditional MMO fans quit GW2 once they hit 80. It also managed to capture a third player base, one that includes me, that, ironically, saw problems with both and think that GW2's model is simply perfect, and in the specific case of progression, a perfectly balanced compromise.

GW2 being such a blend means that it's impossible to know what model will they follow regarding any specific game element.

Edit: ... wait, there is a way. Sorry guys:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/...o_design_director_on_guild_wars_2_ama/c7762pk

Hi! I'll respond to the top part since it's a quote from me.
Obviously the key phrase I'm going to point you to in that quote is, "if someone wants to play for a thousand hours to get an item that is so rare that other players can't realistically acquire it". That really is the litmus test we've used. That's why, at ship, we gave better stats to exotic gear and didn't give better stats to legendary gear.
More generally, I hope we've been clear that GW2 is not a game with virtually no stat progression in it like GW1 was. That's why GW2 shipped with a higher level cap, and with a hard separation between PvE and PvP. In GW1 we never advanced the level cap through four campaigns/expansions. The game design didn't allow for it. But GW2 was designed without those restrictions, and we've always expected that we will someday raise the level cap in GW2.
That's why we've always said that GW2 rewards players through both progression and collection, whereas GW1 primarily rewarded through collection. Presumably players aren't shocked that GW2 rewards through progression, since it has a level 80 cap.
I wonder if the core sentiment is more this: It's only been two-and-a-half months! We don't even all have exotics yet, and already you're introducing another tier. Is this the start of a power progression curve that I'll never be able to keep up with?
I certainly appreciate that worry. I myself don't want a constant struggle, as exists in some other games, to keep my equipment viable.
Then we're left with a balancing act. Some progression is ok, but pushing players onto gear treadmill isn't ok and isn't what the game is about.
So I would ask you to judge us by details, and not by making slippery-slope arguments. We introduced a ton of new content in November, and the sum total of new progression rewards we added to go with it provided a 5-10% stat increase in 2 of 12 slots. I hope you'll agree that that kind of very shallow and gradual progression does not force people onto a gear treadmill.
I think it's important for GW2 to be able to have this kind of gradual progression. Of course we made some mistakes with the way we introduced ascended gear. (See ChrisW's answers for details.) But those are addressable issues. I don't think they invalidate the fundamental concept that GW2 can have gradual stat progression without being a gear treadmill game...

Edit 2: Went straight to the source, Reddit.

 

[lol51]

While they did not raise the level cap in GW1, they added the ability to get more Attribute points (GW2 equivalent to trait points) in GW1 by doing PvE quests.

 

[Jest Chillin]

GW2 is not GW1. In terms of progression, it has elements from both GW1 and traditional MMOs. I's pretty obvious they're trying to go after both markets, which unfortunately seems to have alienated some players from both; many GW1 fans don't like GW2, and many traditional MMO fans quit GW2 once they hit 80. It also managed to capture a third player base, one that includes me, that, ironically, saw problems with both and think that GW2's model is simply perfect, and in the specific case of progression, a perfectly balanced compromise.

GW2 being such a blend means that it's impossible to know what model will they follow regarding any specific game element.

Edit: ... wait, there is a way. Sorry guys:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/...o_design_director_on_guild_wars_2_ama/c7762pk



Edit 2: Went straight to the source, Reddit.

The problem with that quote is two things. 1. Ascended was supposedly planned for Launch and didn't make it (granted I can't verify this). 2. It's in direct response to a complaint about vertical progression.

If 1. is true, then it's a response during a PR AMA designed to assuage peoples fear. The fact that 2. is true, supports the idea that, again, it's PR.

If you can find a similar quote, pre-Ascended backlash, then I'd be more inclined to take heed.

 

[Weltall Zero]

The problem with that quote is two things. 1. Ascended was supposedly planned for Launch and didn't make it (granted I can't verify this). 2. It's in direct response to a complaint about vertical progression.

If 1. is true, then it's a response during a PR AMA designed to assuage peoples fear. The fact that 2. is true, supports the idea that, again, it's PR.

If you can find a similar quote, pre-Ascended backlash, then I'd be more inclined to take heed.

...

You are just way too much. I simply give up. Carry on.

 

[lol51]

Pretty sure ascended wasn't planned for since launch. It was the result of an unanticipated time+effort gap between exotic->legendary items. At launch, they predicted the gap to be smaller. Ascended items were the solution.

It also gave something to those clamoring for 'endgame' content.

 

[Boss Doggie]

As of last night it was still pretty low. I'd wait a week or two for it to stabilize.

Huh? Cash-> Gem ratio is fixed. Gem->Gold ratio I think is decent if you have like allowance of sorts that you want to get some in game spending money with. Gold->Gems has gotten worse due to lots of desirable gem shop items recently. At least that's my take.

Whoops, yeah I meant gem to gold ratio.

So it's still 200 - 1 gem? :/

 

[Kos Luftar]

I don't get this 'gap' between exotic and legendary because there are legendary weapons but they are only releasing ascended accessories. Only if they release legendary and ascended of every type of armor/accessory and weapon will they finally fill this gap.

 

[lol51]

I don't get this 'gap' between exotic and legendary because there are legendary weapons but they are only releasing ascended accessories. Only if they release legendary and ascended of every type of armor/accessory and weapon will they finally fill this gap.

Per the blog post on release of the ascended tier:

As we release more new end game content in the future, you&#8217;ll see more Infusions and Ascended item types being added to the game. Eventually, you&#8217;ll be able to kit yourself out with a full set of Ascended gear and high end Infusions to help give you the edge in end game content.

[...]

[Legendary Weapons] will be upgraded to be on par with Ascended weapons at the same time that we add Ascended weapons to the game

This blog also explains why they introduced the Ascended stuff
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/linsey-murdock-unveils-new-high-end-ascended-gear/

 

[Jest Chillin]

Pretty sure ascended wasn't planned for since launch. It was the result of an unanticipated time+effort gap between exotic->legendary items. At launch, they predicted the gap to be smaller. Ascended items were the solution.

It also gave something to those clamoring for 'endgame' content.

This was what I thought originally as well, however Jira has stated otherwise. He has consumed much more info regarding GW2 than I have, however, so I take him at his word on these things.

I don't get this 'gap' between exotic and legendary because there are legendary weapons but they are only releasing ascended accessories. Only if they release legendary and ascended of every type of armor/accessory and weapon will they finally fill this gap.

Well they say they plan on Ascended for all slots including weapons. I don't know if the staggered release is intended to control the rate of acquisition or if it's a result of time needed to create the assets (new designs unique to Ascended).

 

[Kos Luftar]

I just want them to keep adding new skins for armor and weapons and preferably ones that can be crafted not just gotten from RNG drops (fused weapons).

 

[Hawkian]

I just want them to keep adding new skins for armor and weapons and preferably ones that can be crafted not just gotten from RNG drops (fused weapons).

Well, they're adding a new armor set to the gem shop soon.

 

[Lunar15]

So far, the weapon/armor skins that have come through updates have been some of the highest quality. I don't know if they used different textures or... something, but the overall quality is just way above the stuff that came out before.

 

[Kos Luftar]

Well, they're adding a new armor set to the gem shop soon.

Exactly. That isn't craftable and it can't be acquired by collecting some kind of token.

 

[Nemesis121]

Gear and Cap increase grind at the same time=failure, and it's the reason i have quit every MMO i have ever played except GW1, I can deal with one of them but 2 no thanks....

 

[Hawkian]

ATTENTION EU GAF MEMBERS WHO WISH TO TRANSFER TO STORMBLUFF ISLE!

We are setting up an SBI Immigration fund for those who may be stuck on an EU server and would like to come over to be able to play with us but cannot yet afford the transfer themselves.

If you are on an EU server seeking a transfer, please post your account name and character name in this thread on GAFGUILD.

The list will be assembled first-come, first-serve, so act fast!

To contribute to the fund, simply deposit any amount of money into the Deep Cave (the bottom of the three Guild Bank boxes). There are no limits on much you can donate. I know that some of our EU friends who may be stranded by the region lock would really appreciate it.

Note that we have a record of all transactions to or from the guild bank and that the gold sent to any remote member for a transfer must be used for that purpose. Any misappropriation of funds will of course be met with a ban from GAFGuild and your name becoming synonymous with evil dickishness on NeoGAF.

Every time we are able to bring someone over, whoever contributed the most toward that cycle will get a special thank you prize from me.

Thanks for reading and for making GAFGuild the awesome community that it is!

 

[Shambles]

Are non SBI NA players allowed to throw their hats into this ring?

 

[Retro]

Are non SBI NA players allowed to throw their hats into this ring?

I think EU players are specifically mentioned because NA players can at least guest onto SBI, whereas EU players cannot.

 

[Shambles]

I think EU players are specifically mentioned because NA players can at least guest onto SBI, whereas EU players cannot.

Ahhh. I was wondering if there was some sort of region locking. Funny that you can't guest between regions but you can transfer your account over altogether.

 

[Zod the Bear]

Lost and Found is still up, right?

I've only gotten 2/6, when they'd first come out.

I just checked every spot on Dulfy's guide in both zones, and found an entirety of one spot--which was apparently for something I'd already gotten.

Any tips?

 

[Hawkian]

Are non SBI NA players allowed to throw their hats into this ring?

I mentioned in the gafguild thread, eventually we may open it up to those types of players, but with the Commendations fix for guesting, I wanna give EU gaffers first dibs. They literally can't play with us at all

Lost and Found is still up, right?

I've only gotten 2/6, when they'd first come out.

I just checked every spot on Dulfy's guide in both zones, and found an entirety of one spot--which was apparently for something I'd already gotten.

Any tips?

Try guesting!

 

[NinjaJesus]

Lost and Found is still up, right?

I've only gotten 2/6, when they'd first come out.

I just checked every spot on Dulfy's guide in both zones, and found an entirety of one spot--which was apparently for something I'd already gotten.

Any tips?

Yeah, seriously. Try guesting. I had to hop between a couple servers before I got them all. Only had the problem in Wayfarer though.

 

[Jira]

This was what I thought originally as well, however Jira has stated otherwise. He has consumed much more info regarding GW2 than I have, however, so I take him at his word on these things.



Well they say they plan on Ascended for all slots including weapons. I don't know if the staggered release is intended to control the rate of acquisition or if it's a result of time needed to create the assets (new designs unique to Ascended).

After the whole November page went up they did say that it was intended but didn't happen for launch. As for the time frame on Ascended gear releases they did say they're intentionally staggering them so people have plenty of time to get each piece without feeling rushed. Obviously the creation of actual armor and weapons is a hell of a lot more time consuming than accessories and amulets, so it's hard to say if it's a mix of time to create the assets and/or they just want us to have enough time to get what we want before they release more.

 

[nataku]

I'm pretty sure in a reddit AMA they said in retrospect, it would have been better had they been in at launch. Not necessarily that they were planned for launch.

They do so many random interviews and answers to single questions in forums that it's hard to keep track of it all, though.

EDIT: Here we go.

9. Was ascended gear actually conceptualized before launch? The blog post that introduced it made it sound like something that you guys came up with just recently.

It was not specifically designed before launch. However the concept of progression rewards with a shallow curve bridging other rewards was. Hope that makes sense.

So a shallow curve was always planned after all.

And for that argument earlier about new rarity tiers and a level cap increase:

Should we add new player levels to the game then new items within the current rarities with a shallow power increase would be viable, however we would look at doing a new system rather than defaulting to this initially.

 

[Ashodin]

 

[Retro]

Ugh... coming so close on Bounties is heart breaking.

 

[Kos Luftar]

Without me there you can't possibly finish those bounties.

 

[irfaanator]

exactly I blame Kos for that loss. He owes us wp monies that we used to help find the bounties

 

[Hawkian]

~40 guildies participating in missions right now

T3 Bounty conquered
Challenge complete with Arken-HP to spare
Merits from our rush in a couple minutes and we can start the Puzzle unlock

You guys fucking rock, all I have to say

EDIT: Arken has offered a "Free Immigration Pass" to SBI to the first EU member to ask! Get it while it's hot!

Fund is already up to 7 gold or so for the next on the list as well. Don't pass this up guys, we want you with us

 

[Maledict]

In terms of EU players switching to SBI, what time do you usually run the mission content?

I'm the only one of my little starting guild that still plays and really would like to switch to a larger guild that's actually doing the new content but generally can only play in the evenings.

Grinding up to level 15 fractals with pick up groups was certainly a joy... ;-)

 

[Weltall Zero]

In terms of EU players switching to SBI, what time do you usually run the mission content?

I'm the only one of my little starting guild that still plays and really would like to switch to a larger guild that's actually doing the new content but generally can only play in the evenings.

Grinding up to level 15 fractals with pick up groups was certainly a joy... ;-)

I'm EU and I can only play on evenings, and there's usually enough people to do pretty much anything. See, the thing is that the guild already has several EU people. That along with having over 400 members, many of which can play at any time of the day, means that there's usually at least 20-40 people online. I've run Molten Facility every time I've asked for it, once yesterday evening, the other on friday evening.

One of the scheduled times for T3 guild missions and such is on Saturdays at 20:00 GMT, so it's very EU-friendly. Definitely have a look at this, it should make you a happy camper: (quote to reveal)

 

[Katoki]

Went for a jog with Prisoner just now to get a general idea of the path she takes. Funny thing is that she ran through the middle of some events I was doing on two separate servers.