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Dragon's Stand Dead Map


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DS does no lock folks out anymore, btw.

I spend most of my time on HoT metas, know the ins and outs of getting a map. While doable for those who know, HoT metas have rarely been less popular than they are now. I can't say anything should be done, but I do have some sympathy for the folks complaints.

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Any map that is not currently the newest tends to lean toward bordering on dead. Play during daytime and it definitely will be dead except MAYBE during some great meta IF people love the rewards or need to grind the XP for some reason. Many of POF maps currently face this problem. Dry Top can face it. Season 3 maps also. Right now, from my own experience the most active maps are season four, mainly due to dragonfall having some decent rewards and because people are still actively playing it (more people than older maps) and also - skyscale. What they really need to do is make rewards enticing on many of these maps. I know areanet doesn't like to give out rewards but really it would go a long way to making them more alive. Frankly, it's not fair to newer players to have them required to do events and grinding in maps that are bordering on completely dead except for busy times (and even then, GFL depending on the map and what it has to offer).

There are some great maps with really well done metas but people go where they need to be - unless something entices them to go elsewhere. I don't think it would be even a challenge for them to come up with SOMETHING to entice players to hit older maps. And I'm not just talking events as those are limited time. This is an issue every MMO faces. But in this game, you are relying on events that require groups to earn a bulk of your XP. I wanted to get ley line gliding (which is a really long grind) and the only way I could do it was to make a character and redo all the quests in that area as I just was not coming across groups on a steady enough basis. It was really hit or miss as I'm not always able to be there on 'busy times' and even then I might have something else I want to do. This sort of thing has come up even in the map chats. Players being frustrated. Wanting HPs for example and not having enough to get some of them because maps are dead and people there are trying to get other things done. Players don't always want to do HP trains. Or often can't. I will give credit to areanet for at least making it so you could get map currencies from hearts so that skyscale wasn't a complete nightmare. But really, at this point in an MMOs lifecycle, when there are maps that are many years old, and players still coming to the game or making new characters, they should address this type of thing. New maps never face this problem as it doesn't exist.

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  • 5 months later...

@"arielwind.8921" said:Is there any chance to get collection items easier now? Since this map is really dead, no longer playable.

Maps works still the same way as it ever has:

  • it's on a 2 hour rotation and yes, it gets completed daily on multiple times (might be a bit less for a week right after a new Living World release). The only time the map has issues is during absolute off hours.

Ask yourself, have you consulted an event timer? (for example: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Event_timers)or did you simply join the map whenever without paying attention to how this map actually works?

If the later, you were simply on map at the wrong time. Use the event timers and try again and make use of the LFG tool to get on the correct map.

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In Europe: early morning up till about 2 pm, no action in this map. After that the Event seems to be well attended every two hours all the way till late night. I have never experienced any problem getting certain events done in GW2, as long as you are aware of the timers, and the fact that there are organizations that do certain map events, like Dry Top tier 6 or Triple Trouble.

It could be worse for US folks, not sure. But I think GW2 mega-servers are a wonderful thing, I wish more MMO's used that system.

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@Blude.6812 said:

@Cyninja.2954 said:Use the event timers and try again and make use of the LFG tool to get on the correct map.I use both regularly and they don't often help at all. South Meta immediately comes to mind as well as many others.

Season 3 and 4 maps are on rotation now with dailies per map, so on off days some maps will see less activity while they will see more activity when dailies are up for them. This can temporarily decrease right after a Living World episode release since many players flock to the new map for a while.

HoT maps remain some of the MOST played content on a regular basis. No, Dragon Stand is not a dead map, far from it.

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@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

That might actually end up in a worse opportunity to complete the meta.

Think about this:Fixed timers creates a universal similar timer for players to gather. Players who understand and are able to use the LFG are now only subject to fixed timers. You are still able to organize a big squad and get on an empty map if need be, only you are limited to fixed timers.

Changing this event so it starts "until people are actually doing it" removes any fixed timers. It shifts ALL the responsibility to players to organize and get enough people on map. Something which, as mentioned, is already possible. I doubt this change would actually improve map completion chances, on the contrary. Are you willing to organize 50-70 players daily 5-6 times (or more) to even match the current daily map completion counts? Do you think many other players are willing to do this? It would literally result in a map which can ONLY be completed if joining a dedicated guild, if at all.

@Rauderi.8706 said:

@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

This. I've been saying this
for years
.

No, what you are actually saying is: I want Dragon Stand, and enough people, to be available at my disposal.

If you critically thought about this, you'd realize how deadly such a change would be. You are more than able to organize players to complete DS currently and given the map will take 50-70 minutes, there is no excuse about "not fitting fixed timers".

Timers are literally a funnel to get players to a specific area at a specific point in time. There is a reason why meta events which are on timers overall see far more completions versus those without fixed timers. Example: the change to PoF metas as well as how bounty trains work.

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@Cyninja.2954 said:

@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

That might actually end up in a worse opportunity to complete the meta.

Think about this:Fixed timers creates a universal similar timer for players to gather. Players who understand and are able to use the LFG are now only subject to fixed timers. You are still able to organize a big squad and get on an empty map if need be, only you are limited to fixed timers.

Changing this event so it starts "until people are actually doing it" removes any fixed timers. It shifts ALL the responsibility to players to organize and get enough people on map. Something which, as mentioned, is already possible. I doubt this change would actually improve map completion chances, on the contrary. Are you willing to organize 50-70 players daily 5-6 times (or more) to even match the current daily map completion counts? Do you think many other players are willing to do this? It would literally result in a map which can ONLY be completed if joining a dedicated guild, if at all.

@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

This. I've been saying this
for years
.

No, what you are actually saying is: I want Dragon Stand, and enough people, to be available at my disposal.

If you critically thought about this, you'd realize how deadly such a change would be. You are more than able to organize players to complete DS currently and given the map will take 50-70 minutes, there is no excuse about "not fitting fixed timers".

Timers are literally a funnel to get players to a specific area at a specific point in time. There is a reason why meta events which are on timers overall see far more completions versus those without fixed timers. Example: the change to PoF metas as well as how bounty trains work.

People can still group at specific times to do it. Making the timer start when there is enough people means that it can be more accessible at any time.

Putting words in people's mouths about their intent ruins any arguments you make, especially when you are against making content played by more people more often.

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@Eloc Freidon.5692 said:

@Eloc Freidon.5692 said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

That might actually end up in a worse opportunity to complete the meta.

Think about this:Fixed timers creates a universal similar timer for players to gather. Players who understand and are able to use the LFG are now only subject to fixed timers. You are still able to organize a big squad and get on an empty map if need be, only you are limited to fixed timers.

Changing this event so it starts "until people are actually doing it" removes any fixed timers. It shifts ALL the responsibility to players to organize and get enough people on map. Something which, as mentioned, is already possible. I doubt this change would actually improve map completion chances, on the contrary. Are you willing to organize 50-70 players daily 5-6 times (or more) to even match the current daily map completion counts? Do you think many other players are willing to do this? It would literally result in a map which can ONLY be completed if joining a dedicated guild, if at all.

@Eloc Freidon.5692 said:Dragon Stand needs to not have that timer on freeze until people are actually doing it. That way it can be started by ready groups at any time.

This. I've been saying this
for years
.

No, what you are actually saying is: I want Dragon Stand, and enough people, to be available at my disposal.

If you critically thought about this, you'd realize how deadly such a change would be. You are more than able to organize players to complete DS currently and given the map will take 50-70 minutes, there is no excuse about "not fitting fixed timers".

Timers are literally a funnel to get players to a specific area at a specific point in time. There is a reason why meta events which are on timers overall see far more completions versus those without fixed timers. Example: the change to PoF metas as well as how bounty trains work.

People can still group at specific times to do it. Making the timer start when there is enough people means that it can be more accessible at any time.

It's not about the grouping at specific times. It's about the universal knowledge that this event will start at time XYZ.

How will you get enough people on map? How long are you willing to wait? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? How are you going to keep people on map UNTIL it is full? How are you even going to encourage players to join map at a specific point in time (currently they are going to map based on timers)?

Let's do some very simple math here:Let's assume 6 DS completion per day, with 50 players each. That comes out as 300 players which will gather on Dragon Stand daily within a 8-12 hour time frame. That equals on average 37.5 - 25 players per hour. Once again, concentrated in a limited window (and I'm being very generous here with the time frame).

Now let's remove the fixed timers, but keep the player amount the same, so we end up having 300/24 = 12.5 players per hour. Let's make it a bit fairer and reduce active time to 18 hours, since we'll omit for night time, that still leaves us with 300/18 - 16.6 players per hour on average. You would thus have to wait close to 3 hours for the map to fill up to even reach the 50 players from before, multiple times, not accounting for players who do not join the map due to lack of fixed timers.

It's a terrible idea.

@Eloc Freidon.5692 said:Putting words in people's mouths about their intent ruins any arguments you make, especially when you are against making content played by more people more often.

The fact you believe this content would see more play without fixed timers tells me exactly how critical you've thought about this idea. Suffice to say, Arenanet disagree and have remedied past non fixed timer metas specifically to allow more players to do the events (as mentioned, the PoF meta rework).

I'll repeat what I said, if you want to organize DS metas, that is currently very well possible with minimal requirements as far as timers are concerned.

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@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:People can still group at specific times to do it. Making the timer start when there is enough people means that it can be more accessible at any time.The problem is that without fixed timers you have no clue when "enough people" are available. People jump on the map, see not enough people, and jump away again. Right now you know you have a decent chance at a squad with enough people if you show up ahead of the timer and get organized via an lfg squad. The timer makes people check at the same time and find each other. Without it, the people looking will be spread out, only a few will be lucky to look at a time with enough players to make things look promising, and the vast majority of players won't find a working map at all.

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Comes down to time and reward, over a hour to get the same rewards that takes half the time at other meta eg Auric Basin... then ontop of that the general reward system is fundamentally rubbish, huge time sink for what? 99% chance of mats... mats we dont want and sell..you can only do this so many times until you ask yourself wtf am I doing this for?

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@finkle.9513 said:Comes down to time and reward, over a hour to get the same rewards that takes half the time at other meta eg Auric Basin... then ontop of that the general reward system is fundamentally rubbish, huge time sink for what? 99% chance of mats... mats we dont want and sell..you can only do this so many times until you ask yourself kitten am I doing this for?

Some of us play for fun not for shiny pixels. I still find DS the best meta in game and do it often especially if I'm trying a new build or profession. Never had any issues getting a group at reset. Map is usually full already 15 mins before start. Sometimes even 2 maps fill for the meta at prime times (EU).

Removing fixed time resets from DS would kill the map. Now everyone knows exactly when to join for DS, otherwise you would need to rely on commanders and guilds that are capable of getting more than 45 people on the field. And then you would also need to be in that guild or at least know where and when they advertise (which most don't). Now everything is on wiki.One thing this community is bad at is patience to gather a pug group. It is the worst mmo I played in that regard. It is so casual that people just want everything now and are not willing to wait or communicate at all. Public strikes show that perfectly. They just don't work and it is only 10 players. People don't communicate and are not willing to wait even few minutes.

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@"Cyninja.2954" said:Maps works still the same way as it ever has:

  • it's on a 2 hour rotation and yes, it gets completed daily on multiple times (might be a bit less for a week right after a new Living World release). The only time the map has issues is during absolute off hours.

Ask yourself, have you consulted an event timer? (for example: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Event_timers)or did you simply join the map whenever without paying attention to how this map actually works?

If the later, you were simply on map at the wrong time. Use the event timers and try again and make use of the LFG tool to get on the correct map.Of course, i've checked LFG every event time. There's no group in Oceanic/Asian time except when it's a daily. So i said it's no longer playable in those time zone.

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@arielwind.8921 said:

@"Cyninja.2954" said:Maps works still the same way as it ever has:
  • it's on a 2 hour rotation and yes, it gets completed daily on multiple times (might be a bit less for a week right after a new Living World release). The only time the map has issues is during absolute off hours.

Ask yourself, have you consulted an event timer? (for example:
)or did you simply join the map whenever without paying attention to how this map actually works?

If the later, you were simply on map at the wrong time. Use the event timers and try again and make use of the LFG tool to get on the correct map.Of course, i've checked LFG every event time. There's no group in Oceanic/Asian time except when it's a daily. So i said it's no longer playable in those time zone.

No what you actually said was:

@arielwind.8921 said:Is there any chance to get collection items easier now? Since this map is really dead, no longer playable.

I don't see any distinction in time zones in your statement.

Yes, off hour can be difficult and that is one of the big issues which appears constantly in all types of content. Do the developers create content around the vast majority and primary time zones, or do they try to incorporate off hour players as well? There is no solution here which will accommodate every player.

As Oceanic/Asien player you are now left with multiple choices:

  • run the map when it is daily
  • join a guild with Oceanic players and players of similar time zone, then organize this map
  • run the map during inconvenient hours on a weekend
  • don't run the map
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@Cuks.8241 said:

@"finkle.9513" said:Comes down to time and reward, over a hour to get the same rewards that takes half the time at other meta eg Auric Basin... then ontop of that the general reward system is fundamentally rubbish, huge time sink for what? 99% chance of mats... mats we dont want and sell..you can only do this so many times until you ask yourself kitten am I doing this for?

Some of us play for fun not for shiny pixels. I still find DS the best meta in game and do it often especially if I'm trying a new build or profession. Never had any issues getting a group at reset. Map is usually full already 15 mins before start. Sometimes even 2 maps fill for the meta at prime times (EU).

Removing fixed time resets from DS would kill the map. Now everyone knows exactly when to join for DS, otherwise you would need to rely on commanders and guilds that are capable of getting more than 45 people on the field. And then you would also need to be in that guild or at least know where and when they advertise (which most don't). Now everything is on wiki.One thing this community is bad at is patience to gather a pug group. It is the worst mmo I played in that regard. It is so casual that people just want everything now and are not willing to wait or communicate at all. Public strikes show that perfectly. They just don't work and it is only 10 players. People don't communicate and are not willing to wait even few minutes.

I disagree that people repeat the same content daily every day of the year.. for fun.. people clearly are not repeating metas/ world bosses for "fun" You may do that, would image most dont do it for "fun".. You may have fun doing it.. that is different..

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@arielwind.8921 said:

@"Cyninja.2954" said:Maps works still the same way as it ever has:
  • it's on a 2 hour rotation and yes, it gets completed daily on multiple times (might be a bit less for a week right after a new Living World release). The only time the map has issues is during absolute off hours.

Ask yourself, have you consulted an event timer? (for example:
)or did you simply join the map whenever without paying attention to how this map actually works?

If the later, you were simply on map at the wrong time. Use the event timers and try again and make use of the LFG tool to get on the correct map.Of course, i've checked LFG every event time. There's no group in Oceanic/Asian time except when it's a daily. So i said it's no longer playable in those time zone.

oceanic/asian time vs NA time certainly highlights the issue. But I played during NA time before and a particular season 3 map was pretty dead. There were people on it but we barely completed the meta and only finished 1 of the 2 bosses. I think the real issue is the many maps spreading population out too thinly. This happens also for NA time just less obviously. I havent logged in for several weeks because "dead game" comes to mind whenever i wanted to. I might log in later for a nice scenic run but thats all i can do ingame rofl.

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@Rasimir.6239 said:

@"Eloc Freidon.5692" said:People can still group at specific times to do it. Making the timer start when there is enough people means that it can be more accessible at any time.The problem is that without fixed timers you have no clue when "enough people" are available. People jump on the map, see not enough people, and jump away again. Right now you know you have a decent chance at a squad with enough people if you show up ahead of the timer and get organized via an lfg squad. The timer makes people check at the same time and find each other. Without it, the people looking will be spread out, only a few will be lucky to look at a time with enough players to make things look promising, and the vast majority of players won't find a working map at all.

The existing problem doesn't change, though:Show up early.Squad up through LFG.Taxi to ma- oh wait, it's full.Taxi to- still full.Taxi - full.If you're lucky, you get in before the map starts.Sit around.DIE.Pray you get into the right map and not a different shard.If you're lucky, actually get to do Dragon Stand.

If not, welcome to the leftovers. No one else shows up, because "Dead Map."The existing method is a lottery, and that's it. They'd be better off having a queue system for it at this point.

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