Timing Issues in "Forging the Pact"

[Foxfire.6785]

These were just some weird things I noticed while I was trying to solve another issue with the personal story quest "Forging the Pact". (The other issues was I kept getting disconnected during a certain cutscene; the solution to that one was to update my graphic drivers.) None of these small bugs make the quest unplayable, though I thought they may be related to the technical issues people often have with this quest. I couldn't fit these all into one of the ingame bug reports, so instead it goes here!

--When Messenger Nelson runs up to the fort, he doesn't immediately appear onscreen: the camera is looking at empty ground until he comes through the gate, then poof, he's suddenly there.--When I get to the ruins and just before Trahearne starts his dialogue cutscene, I get teleported behind a bush nearby. (Normally this is hidden because the cutscene starts first? Just a guess.)--It took maybe a half minute delay for the quest to register that I'm in the green circle for the "search for survivors" step. This doesn't seem to be dependent on where I or the NPCs are standing, though may have something to do with killing the last of the mobs up a side path.--The first barricade that blocks the way to the asura disappears while I'm completing the "search for survivors" step. However, in other play-throughs I've had it it explode or disappear just as I'm running up to it after "search for surviviors" is over. Trahearne will then comment about "another barricade" while running over the place where it was, which came across as a non-sequitor to me ("I only saw the one?" or "You mean the non-existent one we just trampled over?")--After Agent Zrii blows up the crates blocking the tunnel entrance, it takes her maybe a half-minute to say "Boom! That ought to do it!" (Everything else in this part triggers on time.)--Trahearne jumps right into his ritual to summon his minions when his voiceovers makes it sounds like I need to do a quest step to protect him from some waves of mobs first. Not that I'm complaining about that!--In this same scene, one of Trahearne's voiceovers differs from his dialogue. "This will require no small effort..." only has "My minions will aid in our escape.." actually voiced.--The brown asura, Dobbs, is hunched over in the dialogue cutscenes. (Intentional?)--When I get close to exiting the cave, more risen grubs spawn behind me. (Intentional?)

[DoctorOverlord.8620]

This scenario is still very buggy. I saw many of the issues in the above post particularly the timing in the Search for Survivors phase where you enter the green circle and nothing happens even after interacting with all the object, the scenario refuses to progress forcing you to restart it. There is also a timing delay in the mob waves spawning when you are defending the first group of survivors outside of the mine. There is no timer so you have no idea if they are approaching or if the scenario is just bugged.

I've had to replay the scenario multiple times to complete it, which might not be bad except this is a tediously long one (not to mention an incredibly poorly designed as far as instructions and the overall map). The length of this should have been cut in half even without the bugs. This could be done by cutting the number of trash mobs and even without the the bugs the number of mobs should be reduced to make it less tedious.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

The Personal Story missions keep collecting bugs over the years due to changes in other areas of the game and the devs show no interest in going back and fixing them. My most recent playthrough was the buggiest yet.

What's become especially common is noticeable timing issues in dialogue and events.

[DoctorOverlord.8620]

@Hannelore.8153 said:The Personal Story missions keep collecting bugs over the years due to changes in other areas of the game and the devs show no interest in going back and fixing them. My most recent playthrough was the buggiest yet.

What's become especially common is noticeable timing issues in dialogue and events.To be fair, I have seen evidence of ArenaNet streamlining the old content of the Personal story missions. There's a great example of Magister Sieren providing a very helpful shortcut around a jumping puzzle that was part of a Personal Story mission for some insane reason. Dwayna bless the people who neutralized that mistake.

The weird thing about the Forging the Pact bugs is that they remind me of ones from Guild Wars 1. In GW1 you would be standing where the game was telling you to be, and the mission would just sit there doing nothing rather than advancing or spawning mobs. Which is crazy since the code is completely different, but it is somehow replicating the same unfortunate experience. Timers and mob wave counts are used in dynamic events in the open world, those would be very useful to have in this (and any) Personal Story missions.