Guild Wars 2: The One Thread

[Maarius]

Thanks, Pourekos, for the info!

The defiance system in GW2 sounds very much like the system you described from Wildstar. The only difference seems to be the timer. Defiance usually has 25 stacks and once it's gone (removed by using cc-skills) you can cc the boss.

I like the timer idea though.

[Shaani]

Are their server parks powered by hamsters?

Actually, they're powered by Skritt.
And in case the Skritt are too exhausted, the Quaggans have to step in.
No hamsters.

[lawow74]

the Quaggans have to step in.

The Quaggan are always welcome to step in.

The deep fryer, that is.

[Deleted]

@Fencers - I wonder what games do you enjoy playing right now (titles please! :3). Doesn't matter if you've been a fan of it since forever or it is a fresh one. Genre doesn't matter too (However single-player only games don't interest me much).

On topic: Quaggans are absolutely adorable, if I could I would make a female Quaggan ritualist.

[zito]

@Fencers - I wonder what games do you enjoy playing right now (titles please! :3). Doesn't matter if you've been a fan of it since forever or it is a fresh one. Genre doesn't matter too (However single-player only games don't interest me much).

On topic: Quaggans are absolutely adorable, if I could I would make a female Quaggan ritualist.

path of exile and clicker heros

[Fencers]

Can you elaborate with an example? "Count up to effect"..., do you mean that crowd control immunity should last as long as a certain number of cc-attacks is reached, and from there on cc is possible? That would be the way defiance already works.

A count-up system allows the CC effect to only be processed when the target is affected by certain number of CC actions.

For example, stunning a target once does nothing but applies one counter of "stun". Two more counters will trigger the stun effect on the third counter.

As I'm not an english native speaker I have problems understanding the difference between the word "intensity" and "magnitude", do you have an example?

Magnitude would base the duration and effect of a condition or debuff on the damage dealt. The harder you hit with the bleeding application skill, the more powerful the bleed effect. The harder you hit with the stun application skill, the longer the stun, etc.

A count up system combined with magnitude based effects would solve the major problem of scaling that resulted in a denial based system currently employed in Guild Wars 2.

It also helps get around the rudimentary Action game elements that dominate Guild Wars 2. Allowing for more coordinated effort and a greater variance in enemy "move set" without relying on environmental gimmicks. As currently the game's enemies essentially only have have sweeping attacks through the game space or localized (sometimes practically unavoidable) effects.

You are literally only ever dodging this upward swing, that cross wise swing, the other spinning sweep, side stepping the boomerang projectile, ducking under the slow moving projectile, etc.

Classically Arcade. GW2 is an action game. And the lesser by contrast of Ninja Gaiden, Dark Souls, Bayonetta, Godhand, Azura's Wrath, etc.

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@Fencers - I wonder what games do you enjoy playing right now (titles please! :3). Doesn't matter if you've been a fan of it since forever or it is a fresh one. Genre doesn't matter too (However single-player only games don't interest me much).

I enjoy Civilization Beyond Earth, Democracy 3 and Clicker Heroes for pleasure. Been playing a little bit of Path of Exile if I get the chance at "longer" play sessions.

I do not enjoy many video games and actually don't like playing video games in general. I just think they are terribly interesting to make, market and design.

[Deleted]

^ Thanks

[Maarius]

A count-up system allows the CC effect to only be processed when the target is affected by certain number of CC actions.
For example, stunning a target once does nothing but applies one counter of "stun". Two more counters will trigger the stun effect on the third counter.

So a stun would only work on a champion after the 3rd stun? A cripple after the 3rd cripple and a knockback after the 3rd knockback on the enemy? If this would be true then every small group of 10 people would easily keep that champion permacrippled, permastunned and basically cc'd for the whole duration of the battle.

What is it that I'm not getting here with your suggestion? I feel like I'm missing some important detail.

Magnitude would base the duration and effect of a condition or debuff on the damage dealt. The harder you hit with the bleeding application skill, the more powerful the bleed effect. The harder you hit with the stun application skill, the longer the stun, etc.

A count up system combined with magnitude based effects would solve the major problem of scaling that resulted in a denial based system currently employed in Guild Wars 2.

Why should condition-duration or condition-effectiveness be scaling with power? There are specific stats for these. The design is that you should choose between doing direct damage, condition damage or crit-damage (while crits are used as effect-starters via the trait system as well). Stun application skills aren't meant to do damage. It's a trade-off between doing damage or controlling the enemy. Why should pure power builds be superior in controlling the enemy compared to defensive builds?

Can you clarify that last sentence ("A count up system combined..."). The count up system still sounds to me like the defiance system we already have, just more specific to certain actions instead of crowd control in general. How would this solve any "major problem of scaling" and what is this major problem of scaling you are talking about? Please, be more specific.

[Fencers]

What is it that I'm not getting here with your suggestion? I feel like I'm missing some important detail.

Three was an arbitrary number. It could be any number appropriate to participating players.

Why should condition-duration or condition-effectiveness be scaling with power?

So that the effectiveness of your CC is consistent to the effectiveness of your fighting capacity in an action game environment.

The count up system still sounds to me like the defiance system we already have, just more specific to certain actions instead of crowd control in general. How would this solve any "major problem of scaling" and what is this major problem of scaling you are talking about? Please, be more specific.

The defiance system is based negation of player action. Count up system are positive to player action.

The major problem of scaling in GW2 is that with enough people, you the individual, no longer matter.

[Lane]

How do I tell if I've unlocked an episode? I think they've changed the interface. Now my character shows to be currently on part of her personal story instead of LS S2 and all the episodes I've logged in during are showing with lockboxes next to them. So, now I'm really confused.

Side rant that I really hate this system. While it's moderately better than the content being gone permanently, having to log in during an event or pay to see it later is BS, IMO. It's been a real hassle to keep up with too.

[Svifnymr]

Click on the update and it should ask if you want to play it, not sure what message it gives if you didn't unlock it though.

But really, if you don't want to play them, why bother unlocking them anyway?

[Valeron]

Lane, bring up the hero panel (H), on the left hand side select the story journal. then you will have two sections, My Story, and Living World season 2. Select the Living World and then select Echos of the past (if you plan to play through the current story), then press start or continue (whatever it says). You will then get an in game message from the mail.

And all you have to do is log in once during the 2 week period of the current LS, not a big deal.

[Maarius]

You don't have to unlock it to play it, group with players (lfg tool) who have it unlocked.

[Lane]

Okay, so as long as there's a 'play the episode' option it means it's unlocked?

But really, if you don't want to play them, why bother unlocking them anyway?

I don't want to play them right now, I might someday, especially since this appears to be the only way they release new content.

And all you have to do is log in once during the 2 week period of the current LS, not a big deal.

Yeah, that actually requires keeping up with a game I don't actively play anymore, hence the hassle. The only reason I've been able to keep up with it at all is due to these extended breaks they keep taking, I think if it had been a constantly bi-monthly thing I would have missed at least one by now.

[Deleted]

You are complaining about having to log on to get the content for free?

Just buy 800 gems for 10 euro (One episode costs 200 gems) And log on when you feel like you are up to that mighty task xD

[Deleted]

I think this method is pretty smart. Those who care enough will keep the game installed on their pc and the chance they will log in and play once in a while will be bigger this way. Also it's waaaay better now that you can just log in every two weeks and play the whole thing later. Instead of being forced to play it right now or else the content will be gone next week.

If you did not unlock one of the stories, I believe it should say something like 'buy now for 200 gems'. If that's not the case you probably have it unlocked.

[Lane]

I'm sorry, my life doesn't revolve around GW2's LS updates and S1LS gave me no incentive to spend a cent on any further updates outside of an actual expansion. (Even that's questionable given what they seem to consider expansion content is.)

[Deleted]

What are you suggesting then? o_O That they give it to you for free if maybe at some point in your life you feel like playing?

[Fencers]

The whole reason the update/episode system works as it does now is to provide incentive for people to play or at least log in for a while. If one does not want to do that regularly, Anet stands to make a few $10s every now and then when players who missed episodes do want to play/log in.

It is a win-win strategy for Arena.net. Brilliant from a marketing standpoint really.

Naturally, the model won't suit everyone ever. Some will find logging in regularly burdensome, others not at all. Some will find $10 too much for an "episode" having missed a chapter or two. But it likely works for a lot of GW2's player base.

That's really the only thing game producers care about really- what works for them among the largest, broadest segment of their consumer base.

[Lane]

I love the new content in LS2 but the gap between releases is too long imo. And yes the 2 week updates were a bit too much for me to handle.

Yes I would rather pay for an big expansion by now, rather than having just one map for free once a year. Not sure whats so weird about that.

I didn't post a reply in that thread, but I agreed with both your comments. Since you feel this way, I'm not sure why you have an issue with my disliking the way Anet handles their content updates.

Regardless, if I'd known that there were going to be additional payments for content in a B2P game outside of cosmetics (and actual expansions) I would not have purchased GW2 in the first place.