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Guild Wars 2: The Closed Beta Preview

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  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,348

    You repeatedly say that you're not impressed by the crafting.  That's not surprising, really.  Any hope that the game would have a good crafting system was completely squashed by the crafting reveal some months back.

    What I want to know about crafting is whether the game's crafting system will at least not be a nuisance.  That's what the crafting system in GW1 had going for it.  It was 100% content-free, but at least it was simple, made sense, and wasn't a nuisance.  And that alone was enough to make it better than the crafting system in a majority of the games on this site, as "there's nothing there" sure beats "obnoxious grinding that you have to put up with".

    -----

    One thing that will have a huge impact on how good Guild Wars 2 is is whether the dynamic events system works.  That's the biggest danger point, and something that I'm highly skeptical that ArenaNet can get to work properly.  Unfortunately, it's also something that can't be seen until well after release.

    It doesn't matter if dynamic events work wonderfully in a press beta.  That's not hard to do, when people are trying to cooperate and make them work right.  It doesn't even matter if they work right when the game is in open beta and has a flood of random people.  Again, that's not unduly hard to do.

    What is hard is to make them still work right after release, when players are trying creative ways to break the system in order to grind levels faster.  More than a few players will try to find the single fastest way to grind levels, and then exploit it to the hilt.  If ArenaNet nerfs one quest sequence that gives too much loot or lets players level too fast, then you'll get huge and wild local population fluctuations as the playerbase goes looking for the next best thing to exploit.

    If ArenaNet does nothing to address whatever exploits are found, then for a large fraction of the playerbase, the game turns into, go here to grind for a while, then go there to grind for a while, and so forth.  Players who don't do that will end up leveling much more slowly as a result.  In GW1, you could ignore that, because you hit the level cap and perfect gear so fast.  Going to the Dwarven Boxing quest to grind for a while really only let you skip a few hours worth of leveling.  But in GW2, it will likely be more of a problem.

    A lot of games do suffer from this to some degree.  But having non-repeatable quests and making an area only useful to level in a narrow level range mitigates it quite a bit and pushes players to keep moving around.  In GW2, ArenaNet will have to worry about players going to areas they're too low level for or too high level for, seeking faster leveling or better loot.  Furthermore, such players will also be able to effectively force themselves into groups with players who want them to go away, because of the dynamic events system.

    ArenaNet will have to worry about peculiar skill combinations.  In GW1, you could kind of ignore ursanway or perma-shadow form if you wanted to, because everything was instanced and the people exploiting those were off in their own instance.  That won't be the case in GW2, though.

    What happens if a quest chain has several different branches, but players always, always, always choose one particular branch because it is the easiest and gives the best loot?  Someone who tries to push toward a different branch will get shouted down for being an idiot and a griefer and making things harder for everyone.  Suddenly a large fraction of the game's content might as well not even exist.

    And what makes all of this really nasty is that there's no way for ArenaNet to detect problems until well after launch--by which time, you want the problems to already be fixed.  In a press beta, you weren't trying to break the game in an organized manner in order to level as quickly as possible.  You knew full well that whatever you accomplished is wiped when the press beta ends.  So the problems won't show themselves until players are trying to break the game.

    Lots of games have "flavor of the month" problems.   But GW2 will be far more susceptible to that type of problem than most games.  Can ArenaNet mitigate the problems this will cause?  I hope so, but I'm skeptical.

  • Mordred1Mordred1 Member UncommonPosts: 84

    I believe this game will be good but I don't trust MMORPG.com reviews/previews anymore. They say any new AAA title is the next best thing since sliced bread. With SWTOR they gave an 8.7 score and one month later wrote an article about how MMOs are stagnant. 

  • cukimungacukimunga Member UncommonPosts: 2,258



    Ooops move along nothing to see here...  [Mod Edit]
  • QSatuQSatu Member UncommonPosts: 1,796

    people forget that from the information we got loot isn;t as important as you think. your traits give you more "power" than the best loot you can get. Crafted gear will be the same as best gear from dungeon. it will simply look different. So if you want you can craft. But it will only give you distinctive looks.

    Ans so what some players will level faster? In pvp you all get lvled to 80 anyway. In pve it will all come down to aesthetics and looks.

  • gaeanprayergaeanprayer Member UncommonPosts: 2,341

    Originally posted by brody71

    Originally posted by gaeanprayer




    Originally posted by brody71






    Originally posted by Unlight








    Originally posted by brody71



     



    Originally posted by Raora





    Am I the only one who does not get all this so called hype for this game? Seriously

    Shhh, they may throw stones.

     

    im interested in this game but im taking it for what it is.  reviews ive read/seen have been varied.  anywhere from saying the solo gameplay is fantastic to you cant complete a dungeon unless you have a dedicated healer.  so they that kind of made my think.  i thought they were doing away with the "holy trinity" and i thought they were focusing on "group play".

     

    also i wanted to see someone shoot there arrow thru fire and have it ignite.  but ill wait on that one. 

    Can you link that review if you can find it?  I'd love to see how the author made use of a dedicated healer in this game.  From what I've seen, no profession is a potent enough healer to keep a group standing for long in a dungeon.  Damage avoidance and personal healing are reported to be the only truly effective mechanics to keep you alive.  Other players will only be capable of taking some of the edge off with much more inefficient AoE heals and restores.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SMYW3tvYeE 



     

    he talks about it around 13:45 - 14:45.






     

    You said "need a dedicated healer"

    He said "roles still exist"

    That is not the same thing. Dedicated healer = priest, monk, etc., standing in the back spamming heals with their eyes glued to the party health bars. Roles = versatile mechanics you can switch in and out of. Take for example, another press interview a while back about an all-warrior group doing a dungeon and completing it successfully. The "roles" they played switched constantly. When one person went down, someone took on the "role" of healer to get him up and support the team for a moment until the situation was under control, then went back to dps'ing. Another warrior might have gone crowd control for a moment to take care of adds. Etc. That's still far away from the classic trinity, which is all Anet has ever claimed in the first place.

    he says the trininty as in your class can only perform certain functions does not exist. That does not however mean that roles are not required to be effective.

     

    I.E. in a dungeon you will need tank/heals/dps.

    That's exactly what it means. You're trying to twist the meaning of what was said to fit into preconceived notions you already have about the game. By your logic, you could call anyone who heals a "healer", and anyone who's taking the damage at the moment the "tank." You're going to have that in any and all games, even ones that aren't RPGs, because you're taking the definition of those roles too literally.  A warrior isn't a "Healer" just because he drops a signet that heal, and a mesmer is not a "Tank" just because they can create illusions for the enemies to focus on to take the heat off the group. They are simply doing what the situation calls for, that's the difference.

    If all the classes can do everything, which they can, that means you aren't tied to the trinity, which you aren't. What Fony said was precisely that, nowhere in anything he said did he mention the requirement of a dedicated anything. He said exactly the opposite. Here's another excerpt from someone who beta'd at Massively that explains it a bit better:

    "For example, I had a signet utility skill that reduced incoming damage, the Mesmer I was grouped with would occasionally use Chaos Storm (which granted me boons), and the Guardian had some AoE heals tied into his skills. Although we encountered many prolonged fights, the multifunctionality of professions made it very easy for players' positions to ebb and flow with the battle. Because of that, if things are a little risky for me at the front line, I could drop back, swap to my bow, and do some damage from a safe distance while someone else stepped up for some mano-a-mano.



    Given that, you don't really have a game where everybody's her own healer -- you have a game where healers are unnecessary because combat rewards intelligent play and there's an incredibly well-designed system of boons across every profession's skills. That said, I do have to say that my self-heal was in high demand during more challenging endeavors. In the level 30 dungeon, for example, it made a huge difference. However, it only made such a difference when used with strategic timing and positioning. Using your heal while standing in the middle of enemy AoE isn't going to cut it."

    You have people dipping in and out of different roles to fit the situation at hand as is required. You do NOT have someone saying "I'm going to be the healer/tank/dps of the group" and dedicating themselves to that the whole time. The game doesn't even make that possible, as there are very few outright heals, most of them are conditional and have long cooldowns, and even people with tons of health in plate armors aren't going to be able to just sit there and soak damage.

    "Forums aren't for intelligent discussion; they're for blow-hards with unwavering opinions."

  • herculeshercules Member UncommonPosts: 4,924

    nowadays i just wait and see.After the dissapointment of swtor.

    I will give GW2 a try  and thankfully it has no monthly fee .But i am certainly not sitting and waiting for it or hyping.

  • RaekonRaekon Member UncommonPosts: 531

    Well I didn't went through all the comments cause there were too many but for all of those that can't wait for the game and are curious about a release date I can tell you this:

     

    - I preordered 2 weeks ago from amazon here in germany

    - The current release date is set for June 30 so far

    If everything goes well and stays like this I see me getting payed vacations for that day or even a whole week! :p

    Started in the alpha of the first GW and stayed for over 5 years (still checking in but only occassionaly) so I waited very long for the sequel to come and now I barely can wait anymore. ^_^

    You can also get lots of infos and videos on youtube under this channel:

    http://www.youtube.com/show?p=M439IGjSu1M&tracker=show6

    It reveals tons of interesting stuff.

  • DAS1337DAS1337 Member UncommonPosts: 2,610

    Originally posted by BillMurphy

    Originally posted by Saryhl

    the video is very unimpressive, the combat looks fun, but there is too much going on, on the screen to really see what you are doing, with too many spell animations and fire. also I dunno if it was his computer settings, but the graphics look so very dated, like hardly better than GW1. I dont foresee this crushing the old MMO ways, it will however be a wonderful successor to the Original GW, and continue to be a niche game that those who played the first enjoy.

    The pains of lowering settings to record with FRAPs and the toning down of video through rendering.  You'll just have to see it for yourself eventually.  Because it's FAR from being dated visually.  


     

    I'm not sure here, because there are some flaws that can't be explained by low graphics settings.  Like bad animations, clunky/slow looking combat, character hovering/gliding across the terrain (it doesn't actually look like they are running), outlined mobs..  I seem to remember GW1 looking a lot better even on low settings in those areas.

     

    To me, it really doesn't look like a AAA title.  It looks like Anet has regressed.

  • RizelStarRizelStar Member UncommonPosts: 2,773

    Originally posted by DAS1337



    Originally posted by BillMurphy






    Originally posted by Saryhl





    the video is very unimpressive, the combat looks fun, but there is too much going on, on the screen to really see what you are doing, with too many spell animations and fire. also I dunno if it was his computer settings, but the graphics look so very dated, like hardly better than GW1. I dont foresee this crushing the old MMO ways, it will however be a wonderful successor to the Original GW, and continue to be a niche game that those who played the first enjoy.

    The pains of lowering settings to record with FRAPs and the toning down of video through rendering.  You'll just have to see it for yourself eventually.  Because it's FAR from being dated visually.  






     

    I'm not sure here, because there are some flaws that can't be explained by low graphics settings.  Like bad animations, clunky/slow looking combat, character hovering/gliding across the terrain (it doesn't actually look like they are running), outlined mobs..  I seem to remember GW1 looking a lot better even on low settings in those areas.

     

    To me, it really doesn't look like a AAA title.  It looks like Anet has regressed.

    Just curious what was the last GW 2 video you looked at?

    I might get banned for this. - Rizel Star.

    I'm not afraid to tell trolls what they [need] to hear, even if that means for me to have an forced absence afterwards.

    P2P LOGIC = If it's P2P it means longevity, overall better game, and THE BEST SUPPORT EVER!!!!!(Which has been rinsed and repeated about a thousand times)

    Common Sense Logic = P2P logic is no better than F2P Logic.

  • dinamsdinams Member Posts: 1,362

    Originally posted by RizelStar

    Originally posted by DAS1337




    Originally posted by BillMurphy






    Originally posted by Saryhl





    the video is very unimpressive, the combat looks fun, but there is too much going on, on the screen to really see what you are doing, with too many spell animations and fire. also I dunno if it was his computer settings, but the graphics look so very dated, like hardly better than GW1. I dont foresee this crushing the old MMO ways, it will however be a wonderful successor to the Original GW, and continue to be a niche game that those who played the first enjoy.

    The pains of lowering settings to record with FRAPs and the toning down of video through rendering.  You'll just have to see it for yourself eventually.  Because it's FAR from being dated visually.  






     

    I'm not sure here, because there are some flaws that can't be explained by low graphics settings.  Like bad animations, clunky/slow looking combat, character hovering/gliding across the terrain (it doesn't actually look like they are running), outlined mobs..  I seem to remember GW1 looking a lot better even on low settings in those areas.

     

    To me, it really doesn't look like a AAA title.  It looks like Anet has regressed.

    Just curious what was the last GW 2 video you looked at?

    He dislikes the game by principle, why to even try reasoning with him?

    Not worth imo

    "It has potential"
    -Second most used phrase on existence
    "It sucks"
    -Most used phrase on existence

  • FreeBooteRFreeBooteR Member Posts: 333

    I don't understand what is being overhyped? I've been watching all the videos and what i've seen is exactly what has been promised. Show me what what they have said about the game that isn't part of the game? I'm watching these vids and they are pretty impressive gameplay videos. I'm watching people play, and they appear to be having a lot of fun, hell i'm having a lot of fun watching them. So where's the overhype?

    I'm thinking it has more to do with the fact that many are completely crushed by how good the game looks and they are threatened by it's awesomeness and worried sick people are going to abandon their favorite MMO for GW2. That has to be it, nothing explains the vitriol i'm witnessing.

    Archlinux ftw

  • FalcomithFalcomith Member UncommonPosts: 830

    Originally posted by FreeBooteR

    I don't understand what is being overhyped? I've been watching all the videos and what i've seen is exactly what has been promised. Show me what what they have said about the game that isn't part of the game? I'm watching these vids and they are pretty impressive gameplay videos. I'm watching people play, and they appear to be having a lot of fun, hell i'm having a lot of fun watching them. So where's the overhype?

    Thats spot on. None of the people complaining about it being overhyped has yet stated a reason why. So far, everthing they have said has been delivered. More developers in the industry needs to follow suit. So many have spoken what they are going to do with a specific game without testing, and when it comes time to release, it wasnt implemented.

  • aligada87aligada87 Member UncommonPosts: 234

    Originally posted by Bunks

    Originally posted by VicDonnegan


    Originally posted by aligada87




    Originally posted by Raora



    Am I the only one who does not get all this so called hype for this game? Seriously










     

    dude why are u hating on the game, it isn't even released yet so why are you judging it already. if you say it's because you tried gw1 then, just dont. i'm not a fanboi of gw2, and to be honest this will be my first gw game, but stop harrassing the game, when it hasn't even been released yet. also i'd like to know what game that is going to be launched doesn't get hyped?

    Alright...at the risk of involving myself in a poo-slinging match, I've got to say something about ^this^. I just don't see how Raora is "hating on GW2" or making any "harrassing" statements. All they said was that they "didn't get the hype for this game." Not "getting" something is not the same as "hating" or making "harrassing" statements. GW2 isn't going to be for everybody, everyone is different, and that's alright. It's ^these^ types of exhanges, in the threads, that make the GW2 fans look bad to the rest of the people on the site. Some of us are just WAY too defensive and just need to take a step back and not read between the lines so much.

    Exactly Vic, there aren't haters to the game. There are only those who will have fun playing the game, and those who don't.  But thsoe who don't will still benefit from what this game is offering, it will raise the bar for the next group of guys who plan to make an MMO they will like.


     

    are u just to retarded, or you just picked the 1 thing i said and decided oh hey ima add my 2 cent on it. read the part where well i misunderstood and apologized dumbass. seriously if your going to put an arguement atleast read before you post. people like you who just love to join conversations without knowing the whole story to it, is why the world looks more retarded each day. do me a favor delete your post, or atleast re-edit it, because the more i look at it, the more i see how dumb you are.

  • KalmarthKalmarth Member Posts: 443

    Hype, hype and more hype, see its got teeth after a few month of release

     

  • grimfallgrimfall Member UncommonPosts: 1,153

    If your main scope of MMO gaming is the likes of Everquest and World of Warcraft, shake free of the shackles of gear grind and raiding treadmills.

     

    Spoken like someone who came to either game in 2007.   He makes this deduction after only being able to play to level 20 too.  Nice that you're excited Bill, but put your thinking cap back on.

  • iceman00iceman00 Member Posts: 1,363

    Hey Bioware, you paying attention?  THIS is what a company does when making a new MMO.  And they did it without spending 200 mill.

    Will it be the "WoW killer?"  I doubt it.  But it has the potential to change the ways MMO's are developed and played.  That in and of itself, I freakin salute you ArenaNet!

  • aligada87aligada87 Member UncommonPosts: 234

    why wont it be a wow killer? just wondering why you doubt it.

  • iceman00iceman00 Member Posts: 1,363

    In the end, the only thing that will do World of warcraft in, is World of Warcraft.  Now they might do that with the whole Pandaria stuff.

    It has built a fanbase for years cultivating them.  Most games that try to compete are generic wow-clones, and people fail to realize...... their base is already playing WoW and enjoying it.

    Guildwars will do exceptionally well, but they honestly have a different base than WoW.  In a real sense, this is a throwback (with some good updates) to the "good ol days", where exploration and grouping were encouraged, skill mattered more than gear, etc.  That's always been a bit of a smaller market.

    Yet can the game, without a subcription, snag 3 million or more?  Absolutely.  And even if those aren't WoW numbers, that's still a smashing success.

  • Ludichris1Ludichris1 Member Posts: 41

    Woot woot for Guild Wars 2 :))!

  • MaelkorMaelkor Member UncommonPosts: 459

    What I am most looking forward to is the lack of quest hubs and not needing to stick around a specific area to get the needed quest gear rewards and level xps to advance through a static storyline. It sounds like I can move fluidly through the world at my pace experiencing whatever content strikes my fancy. In the long run this will have a lasting affect on being able to maintain longterm groups and hunting partners as different people wont be on "different" parts of a storyline or quest line.

     

    Looking forward to the game myself.

  • dagon3dagon3 Member Posts: 117

    Loved guild wars 1 , only thing im not caring for so far is flame throwers .Alot fo games are adding things to the fantasy setting that are modern day . AS in helicopters, motorcycles, Flame throwers etc.

    Edited: so people could understand

    can we keep fantasy  (fantasy) and modern (modern)

    You may disagree with me but to me fantasy is swords and sorcery.

    Not guns and rockets.

     



     

  • PNM_JenningsPNM_Jennings Member UncommonPosts: 1,093

    Originally posted by dagon3

    Its fantasy can we keep it real please.

    wait what?

  • dagon3dagon3 Member Posts: 117

    Originally posted by atticusbc

    Originally posted by dagon3

    Its fantasy can we keep it real please.

    wait what?


     

    Fixed that sorry long day at work 8)

  • iceman00iceman00 Member Posts: 1,363

    Originally posted by Leucent

    Originally posted by cptkloss

    Originally posted by Leucent

    Originally posted by cptkloss

    Hehe... so the end-game is "play just for the fun of it"? this concept has always failed ALWAYS. If there is no long term character development in any form, there's no incentive to play.

    Not even talking about everything outside WvW, you might want to see DAOC for that. It at it s time was a very successful MMO, based on end game RvR alone. I know I played it just for the fun of it.

    never played DAOC but from what i read it had quite an extensive alternative advancment options , realm points and such... from this preview i'm sensing there's like...nothing? (except for that "fun" thing) - just saying, if there's nothing tangible to gain for your effort, it's not going to work

    Thats the I need rewards crowd that alot of games brought in. If you haven t played DAOC you wouldn t understand the realm/server pride. It was almost everything back in the day. If GW2 can bring even 50% of that back it will be a large success.

    It's more just for the "old timers", MMO's were really a community thing.

    I'm part of the Eclipse group from SWG on FB.  Most of us haven't played SWG in years.  Many of us haven't gamed together since 2004-2005.  Yet we still talk.

    When I played POTBS, every server developed a reputation and was proud of it.  And every server was always pushing why their server was better than those other scrubs.  When someone said playing on Blackbeard was like losing a 20 million doubloon ship then having your soul devoured, we all took pleasure in that.  It was indeed server pride.

  • LordjayLordjay Member Posts: 11

    I used to be really excited about this game a couple years back,but the more i see the more i realize it IS just run of the mill fantasy MMO with a few innovations.Trust me Ive been gaming for 30 years now-D&D since 1982,my first video game was Pong In the late 70s.Ive played 20 MMOs so far since 2003 and about half were P2P subs.(And by play I mean a solid 2 weeks or more Bare minimum,however almost half were years of playing time.) 

    The worst thing to do was show actual gameplay footage to me for the last year or so.While it does have some interesting combat innovations,it just looks bland in the end.

    So when I see people getting fanatical over this game I kind of chuckle to myself becuase i realize people will be so over-hyped theyre going to be let down when they realize it still is JUST a typical fantasy game at the core level.However when I see people that stay interested I realize theyre either a hardcore fanboy/girl or not very experianced in the MMO scene(Or both).

    Anyway with that being said,GW2 may be my secondary MMO when i have xtra $ to get it,But my money is on The Secret World for a totaly new MMO experiance.Coming from my mouth that should mean something,Im not a Fanboy trying to advertise an MMO I like,Im a highly experianced Gamer with a little over 30 years of gaming under my belt and a few years of research on MMOs being developed since 2007,and which one will provide a unique experiance for players...And its The secret World.

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