Shadow of the Mad King - first content patch 10/22/12

[Deleted]

Just FYI there's a "Mad King Thorn" in the middle of Lion's Arch (where the statue used to be) giving away witch hats.

I just noticed the hat makes you bald! I giggled.

[Lane]

I just noticed the hat makes you bald! I giggled.

It actually looks pretty good on my male Charr, but my female Sylvari... no, just no. x_X

[Deleted]

All I've done in halloween since ANet introduced the mk dungeon till they removed it was to run it, didn't get a single halloween skin.
Yesterday, I've received one blc key and opened one chest, greatsaw skin.

[Kelesti]

An interesting take on people's frustration from the Clocktower...

When I made this map I was HOPING that people who aren’t into jumping would do exactly this. They’d see a fun Halloween looking environment, maybe get to the first chest and snag a goodie, then be on their merry way. I see now it was a mistake to make the hardest jumping challenge in the game part of an in-your-face update like a holiday event. I’m not going to stop making difficult stuff like this, they just won’t be so prominent in the future. I honestly hate making people upset and have a very high level of empathy. So it’s been hard hearing all the people that are so angry, frustrated and sad because of something I’ve made. But it’s just another lesson learned.

It's good to see that they like things to be challenging like this, but perhaps this wasn't the proper venue for it. Interesting to see what else this guy can come up with (bring it!).

[zito]

An interesting take on people's frustration from the Clocktower...
It's good to see that they like things to be challenging like this, but perhaps this wasn't the proper venue for it. Interesting to see what else this guy can come up with (bring it!).

But I think another point they are forgetting is that do they need holiday events to be so... easy? Besides the clocktower nothing was really difficult I think the clocktower was a nice change of pace for seasonal events.

There is no issue with something like an optional holiday jumping puzzle to be hard. Especially when you don't need the achievement for the title nor is the reward amazing. There are plenty of people who can and did finish the puzzle yes including asura, it looks like anet is taking the more negative comments more serious then how the content played out.

I really don't know why people complained about not completing it when you don't need to complete it (the reward wasn't great) people who played and cried over it for hours... I don't understand the point of it was for fun. If you didn't enjoy it the first hour why did you grind it out more?

[Fencers]

I really don't know why people complained about not completing it when you don't need to complete it (the reward wasn't great).

It was a prominent part of the event. That's all there is to it. There could have no reward-- some would have still liked to have seen the puzzle.

Not too mysterious to understand. People like to feel included.

[zito]

It was a prominent part of the event. That's all there is to it. There could have no reward-- some would have still liked to have seen the puzzle.

Not too mysterious to understand. People like to feel included.

Completing it and being included are 2 different things. Everyone was included, not everyone completed it. If you really couldn't get past the first 10 seconds after the 2nd initial jump and wasted hours on it.... I'm sorry but hope god have mercy on your soul...

If you did not enjoy it at least you tried and got included you shouldn't of have to grind it out for nothing but pain, unless that is what you want, not what you feel you should do.

[Fencers]

Completing it and being included are 2 different things.

That's true. Though ultimately doesn't matter a whole lot.

There are going to be enough people that see a holiday event going on and wish to participate w/o too much frustration.

That dev is right. Sticking something like that jump puzzle as a big feature for a holiday event is a mistake.

[VibrantViolet]

That's true. Though ultimately doesn't matter a whole lot.

There are going to be enough people that see a holiday event going on and wish to participate w/o too much frustration.

That dev is right. Sticking something like that jump puzzle as a big feature for a holiday event is a mistake.

Yeah, but if they make the next holiday event too easy, people will complain it's "boring". I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[Karizee]

Yeah, but if they make the next holiday event too easy, people will complain it's "boring". I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

^^
They are in that spot now, some people claim it's too easy, some claim it's too hard.

Just like the dungeons ;-)

Most people I know completed the puzzle. I think it boiled down to how good you are at platforming games or how much time you put into it.

[Fencers]

Yeah, but if they make the next holiday event too easy, people will complain it's "boring". I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Eh. To some degree. But that's just the nature of trying to please a fickle audience. Hard stuff in the middle of an event sticks out like a sore thumb though.

Mining candy corn and spamming F during a food fight was hardly on the level of the jump puzzle. And again, Anet seem to realize that isn't a very savvy design choice.

Highly doubtful the type of players interested in holiday events and casual centric game such as GW2 are sitting at home saying, "I can't wait for the challenge of turkey labyrinth of doom! Because I love a good challenge! Challenge."

[Karizee]

Are you saying casual equals bad, Fencers? ;-)

Really though, what kind of metric should they use to determine how easy or how difficult? Say if 100% of the playerbase gets it on the first try too easy, 100% of the players can never do it too hard.

50% get it after an hour of effort? 2 tries?

[Fencers]

Are you saying casual equals bad, Fencers? ;-)

No.

Really though, what kind of metric should they use to determine how easy or how difficult? Say if 100% of the playerbase gets it on the first try too easy, 100% of the players can never do it too hard.

That's up to them. Clearly Anet felt it was too frustrating for a prominent feature of a holiday event.

We have a dev [puzzle designer] telling us us flat out it was a mistake to put that kind of puzzle as a major feature of an event. Can't get any clearer than that.

[Karizee]

I understand that, I'm just asking a rhetorical question.

How easy should a jump puzzle part of a holiday event be? If you reduce it to the lowest common denominator so that everyone gets the achievement you'll end up with something like that one jump vista in The Grove. Or a simple staircase with no bumps, breaks or jumps - just run 'round the tower and collect loot!

[Fencers]

How easy should a jump puzzle part of a holiday event be?

Answer is "easy enough so it frustrates the least amount of people". That's what you write on the sticky note sent to QA.

We already have lite jumping puzzles in the game. There is no reason to go to the extreme of just as well not having a jump puzzle.

I Wanna Be The Guy with a nausea inducing camera, also another best avoided extreme.

[Kaenroh]

I actually never opened the first chest on the jumping puzzle... I didn't even know there /was/ a chest early on until after an hour of trying to do the puzzle. I was too busy trying not to be swallowed by the rising green badtouch water to pause or look around at anything.

I like jumping puzzles that are difficult. I don't like jumping puzzles that are difficult because of a time limit.

[Svifnymr]

I actually never opened the first chest on the jumping puzzle... I didn't even know there /was/ a chest early on until after an hour of trying to do the puzzle. I was too busy trying not to be swallowed by the rising green badtouch water to pause or look around at anything.

I like jumping puzzles that are difficult. I don't like jumping puzzles that are difficult because of a time limit.

I didn't complete the halloween puzzle, but I also didn't put hours into it. I think the hectic feel that the rising ooze gave it is perfect for a halloween event though, and not completing it doesn't leave me feeling like the holiday sucked or I failed at it though. It was a fun romp.

It's like the Lunatic thingee, you're a villager running for your life. It fit the theme fine, but some people might not like being set up as a "victim to be griefed". Same with the Labyrinth, I'm sure there were some folks that whined that it was too hard (everyone is bumped to 80, but gear is gear).

Hell, during Mad King Says, there were groups of 30 of us following him around, and at least 3 people in each group saying "is there a reward for this?" and 1 person saying "this sux, this is so stupid". They kept doing it anyway, but people whine.

The only thing with the dungeon (aside from folks not knowing ahead of time that it was closing), was me rushing forward to jump down a yawning chasm to hell and getting inside before realizing it was a dungeon and I'd get beat.

So yeah, maybe the ooze could have risen a little slower, and the blocks could have been better defined and camera angles fixed, but there's always going to be complaints. Overall it's a fun holiday, though I wish they hadn't taken out my lion statue! I loved the fountains.

[Fencers]

Scamming? Come on now.

[Durzlla]

I thought the jumping puzzle was piss easy (and this is coming from someone whos keyboard doesnt allow them to jump whilst pressing another move button).

But what dissapointed me about the event as a whole was the scamming from ANet and the fact it was impossible to get any of the cool skins.

They changed it so you pretty much got a better chance for a skin every 2 chests you open, one of my builders bout 20 keys and got every single skin, so it varies per person...

PS: yes there were ample death threats aimed at him... And a lot of the skins were on TP too some for dirt cheap (like the rifle)

[Fencers]

Its not like im being outlandish, there was an estimated 1% or less drop chance from chests at the start surely you saw the public outrage on the forums.
Then they added the second chest but it has the same drop chance.

Yea, but how is it a scam exactly? Its a gamble. Roll the dice, see what happens.