Tyranni.9780

I'd love to see some kind of player housing. Apartments and/or instanced houses are a great idea, imo. I loved the housing in EQ2. It was one of the few things in that game that I actually spent loads of money on because of all the different styles, locations, and decorations and each alt could have their own. Not to mention people crafting furniture and decorations to sell to other players, although the coolest stuff was always in the store. My alts each had a different "address" in various towns and you could link them & teleport from one to the other. I spent a ton buying fancy mansions from the game store to indulge my fantasy decorating urges. lol. Even had one that had little caves to decorate with little paths and a creek from the entrance. I often miss that aspect of that game. Fantastic feature that nearly everyone indulged in. :)

I used to play LotRO for a couple of years, as well as other games all the way back to MUDs in the late 80s/early 90s, and having to rely on other people for content completion works fine as long as you have a good bit of disposable time on your hands (although one of my fondest LotRO memories is soloing dungeons on my warden pre Helm's Deep and just taking friends along to have someone to chat to ;) ). The older I got, the more my gametime was restricted, and the more I've come to appreciate games that give me all the opportunities to be social while not forcing them on me, as that would offer me alternatives if/when I couldn't find the right group for the content I wanted to tackle. I do play MMOs to play with other people, but I'm at a time in my life where I prefer to be in control over who to play with and when to play with them. Being thrown into a dungeon with a young know-it-all that is convinced they alone know right from wrong gameplay/equipment/rotations/whatever is not the kind of socializing I'm looking for in a game. I've had my share of that in other games. Not being forced to formally group up with strangers doesn't mean you want to play a single player game. It might just mean you are more picky about who to play with, and when. Well said! My sentiments exactly. :)

Ok, As a new player I'm trying really hard here to get a handle on what's in store for me if/when I ever make it to the higher levels. Am I understanding this right? It seems that the words "casual" and "open world" have a different meaning here than in other games? The game is promoted as being casual in the open world, (and players have assured me that min/maxing & power gaming isn't a requirement). It's what attracted me to this game and I'm finding it's somewhat true in the newbie 1-15 areas but even there it's almost too much at times and starts getting tedious after a while. In the 15-25 areas, which I've just started getting into, even more-so. Some days, depending on my mood, when I see the "there's an event in the area" pop-up, I'm like "sigh, of course there is, there always is." Seems like the minute I set foot in an area I'm confronted with another "event" when maybe all I wanted to do is look at what a quest npc is selling, or gather resources, or get somewhere or something. Finish that event or run the other way, doesn't matter. Move off a ways and there's another one. Even in a small village or outpost with vendors & such, you think "ahh a breather." But nope, an event drops on your head and the village/outpost is attacked almost as soon as you enter and try to look at your inventory or something. (don't get me wrong, I like the events, just not non-stop events) And what I'm seeing here seems to contradict that whole "this is a game for casuals" thing. I'm seeing that what I'm experiencing now is not even how it will continue to be, it gets even worse. I see comments like the one saying Oh there's at least a dozen places on one map where you can stop to breath. A dozen places? On an entire map? And don't stop to look around until you find one of those spots. That being the case, it seems to me that these maps are just huge, glorified dungeons/raids and not "casual open worlds" at all. Non-stop combat with a few "safe spots" if you're smart and observant. I'm not criticizing, it's just that I think I may have been under a misconception of what this game is about and I'm trying to understand. And I'm not saying it's wrong, just not for everybody and maybe not for me, I don't really know yet. It's looking to me, at this point that my experiences in the lowbie areas are going to keep ramping up and up and up until it really is just large, glorified dungeons/raids designed to be like an open world, rather than actual "casual" open world, with non-stop combat even between events, and with city hubs/bank areas being the only places to really breath. Is this how it is, or am I misunderstanding the overall theme I'm seeing here?

I don't normally like to comment in threads about content I haven't even reached yet and probably won't for some time since I have no direct experience with the issues. But I do have an opinion on this particular issue as it's a huge bugaboo for me in other games. In fact I came to this game partially to try and get away from the trend of games these days of making non-stop combat and constant aggro a thing and calling that "challenge." Something a little more "casual." lol. I know everyone has a different definition for that word but for me "casual" means being able to play the game in a casual manner in the open world areas without every square inch of the game and every half-step I take forcing me into non-stop & un-looked-for combat. I agree 100% with those who are saying it's annoying. The comparison to flies constantly buzzing around you when you're trying to eat is so right on it. The difficulty of the mobs in question is irrelevant, imo. It's the fact it's so constant with no time to really enjoy your surroundings, or even see them in some cases. What is the point of even making nice maps if people can't enjoy them? They're too busy fighting and/or zerging their way through it to pay it any attention, and sadly many couldn't care less as long as the adrenaline keeps flowing. With that said, and if a noob's opinion is of any value to Anet, I have to say that after reading through this thread I'm finding it just a tad bit alarming to see that's what I have to look forward to if I decide to venture off the core maps someday. It's not what I was looking for when I found this game and with that in mind I don't foresee myself ever setting foot on those maps even though I've already bought both expansions. I will simply remain on the core maps. I'm not hung up on having a mount anyway. I love the core maps. They are very well suited for me and my preferred playstyle. I see some people scoffing at the core maps and looking down their noses at those who like a more "casual" playstyle. It's ok, I see that attitude in just about every game I've played. I just hope that this game doesn't become like all those others and start tailoring it for the hard core adrenaline junkies instead of the laid-back casuals because I think that would just be a crying shame. I've seen it happen to too many that started out as rpgs. There's enough of the hard core games out there already and far too few of the casual rpgs, imo.

Great. Thanks. I'm glad to know I'm not just overlooking some simple mechanic I could be using, (which wouldn't be unusual for me, lol), and that there's a workaround. :)

I know, I'm just full of questions. lol So I've been playing with the dyes & skins, but of course my armor keeps getting replaced so quickly at my levels that I don't get to enjoy it for long and have to re-do the skin for the new piece & re-dye it if I want to keep the same look. So I looked at the Wiki page to see if there was a way to keep the color on a skin. Apparently not, but that's ok, I don't need to keep spending all my points on re-skinning at this stage. But it also says this.... "Although newly acquired items will automatically be dyed with the dyes set for a currently equipped item.........." That's interesting because I've not found that to be the case. If I equip a new piece, it's the default color, not the dyed color. Even that would be an improvement, if it worked, since I can live without the skins til I'm not replacing things so fast if I can at least keep the same color scheme without having to redo it every time. (hope I explained that right) :) So I'm wondering, am I overlooking something? Is it supposed to work that way or is the Wiki incorrect?

@voltaicbore.8012 Aha! Ok, I had no clue about the defense making me an aggro magnet. That explains a lot since I've been going with a lot of defense, being as how it just seems the mobs all think I'm groceries. Thanks. And thanks for all the other advice as well. :) As a side note, I've been fooling around with a Necro the last couple days. I'm really liking that class too so will probably end up playing both. So far it's been pretty survivable but I think with some changes with all the advice in this thread the Ranger will still be my favorite. It's the class I usually end up playing in any game.

Thanks, and I'll def give the drake a try. I have a few different pets now but haven't really done much with most of them yet. Been running mostly with the white wolf and the raven (being a Norn and all. hehe). Didn't know about the aoe with the drake. Sounds like just what I need, especially for that particular part of the quest. Well... provided I can figure out how to get the mobs to stop ignoring my pets & concentrating all their efforts on me that is. lol.

I think you unlock the first skill tree/track at lv21. But as you said, core Tyria is the field to start learning the game, no rush to start thinking about maximizing traits (usually you decide first which weapon you like the most, and then you choose the traits. So time to experiment and test first). About your story instance in particular, I found , and also from the "guide", you can see that the guy died twice... (or at least he went to downed state twice). So you're in good company. I've read someone offered their help in NA. In case you play in an EU server instead, I glady offer mine (you'd play your story and choose all the options in the dialogue, I'll just be there to fight). Good luck! Hehe, yeah I saw that vid too. Actually I think he went down 3 times and died once. And yet, I'd swear there are more mobs now coming over the wall than back when that was made, but probably that's just my perception from the perspective of being in the middle of them. lol. I do need to get better with switching to a melee weapon & learning which are the best pets. Mobs just run right past my pets and make a bee line for me & I get swarmed. It's not that big a deal with one or a few mobs, but with a large gaggle of mobs all bent on my destruction..... it's def a problem. :) In fact I'm kinda starting to think that "me" trying to be a "ranged" Ranger was a mistake. lol Thanks for the offer of help. You guys are the best. I'm on NA & will def be taking one of them up on their offer if I find I just can't do it. In general I don't like to be a needy person and get a lot of satisfaction from being able to accomplish things myself. But I won't turn my nose up on the offers if I find I need the help after all. :)

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that. So many games are going the min/max, zerg, leet power-gamer, route that I was beginning to despair of ever finding the "right" game for me. So far I am really loving this game and think I may have finally found it. :)

Hmmm. Ok so I think I'm seeing a trend here in where I've been going wrong, not just in the personal story but in general as well. I've been trying different races but only short samplings of other Professions & keep going back to Ranger. So Ranger is all I've played so far beyond about level 3 or 4. I need to do some more reading, for one. Using the long bow, I had noticed that with the rapid shot it hits multiple enemies and even with the "1" ability, it hits whatever, without my really having to use targeting of a specific mob. So I made an assumption (my bad) that this was like some other games I've played where you don't really use targeting much and fighting is more a directional thing. I've only been using targeting when I have a reason to want a specific mob. Otherwise I've just been shooting into the group. lol. Silly me. I really should know better but I'll claim noob ignorance. :). I do ok so far with small numbers of mobs. Just the large swarms that just seem to be beyond me. Also, I haven't really paid much attention yet to "builds" and such since I'm still so new and trying to absorb so much info in a short time. Guess I need to start thinking about that now. I guess I figured level 20 personal story would still be in the realm of "noob friendly," (my bad again). I have no problem with moving around or avoiding circles on the ground, etc., but I really haven't gotten into the whys & wherefores of going power or precision or any of the other choices other than protection yet. My natural inclination has been to go as much protection as possible since I'm a wuss by nature and it just seemed it would be better to take a little longer to kill than to let them take me down faster. hehe. At least until I'm more familiar with how things work. That seems to work ok with single or few mobs so far but with a large group, doesn't seem to be working well for me. Like I said in my first post, I really suck at most games. I've never been what some people would call a "good" player and I don't expect I ever will be. I like to relax and play at my own pace, and I'm finding this game to be very well suited for me so far. (Well, at least until I hit that swarm in the personal story. lol.) Then I started having doubts about whether this was going to be yet another game that's going to be beyond my abilities and/or desire to start worrying about spreadsheets and min/maxing, etc. If I have to do that in order to play the game beyond the noob levels, then it definitely will not be my cup of tea. Thanks again for all the advice. I can see I need to make some changes to my character and how I've been playing it, as well as getting maybe level 30 before tackling that level 20 quest again. :)

This happened to me during my first week playing. I was in a swamp where I'd been running around closing portals. I had to go afk and chose a nice safe looking little island. When I came back there was a huge beast and an event going on around me. Not knowing what I should be doing exactly, I ran over and started trying to take some cheap shots at the beastie, ended up dying a couple times & some kind souls rezzed me. lol. Maybe some people thought I was taking advantage?

I agree. It's been so refreshing here after coming from some other games forums. In-game as well.

Moved this comment to the first post for coherence sake. hehe

So, I'm new and really exposing my ignorance and lack of gaming skills here. I'm trying to do the level 20 personal story quest for Norn (archer). I got to the part, Don't Leave Your Toys Out, and I can't complete it. I keep getting swarmed and killed. Yes, I suck at games and usually stick to low levels and avoid really difficult stuff so I can play without having anxiety attacks or rage quitting. So fair warning, any replies with variations on "git gud" will be wasted on me. I'm just one of those people who are unable to "git gud." :) Since this is the personal story line I would like to complete it. I've tried watching youtube vids of people doing it and it's not helping. So my question is, is the personal story line necessary? As much as I want to do it, since the story is what interests me most in games, if I can't do it then I have to admit that to myself. So do I have any future in this game? Can I progress without the personal story line? Am I going to keep running into this kind of difficulty? The thought occurs to me that maybe this game is just not for me but I hate to think that since I like it so much so far. EDIT: I'm adding this from my post below since a few of the posts after that asked some questions answered there. :) Thank you all for the responses. I really don't want to bail out, especially since I've already bought both expansions while they were on sale. To answer a couple questions, yes Ranger, level 20 (ish), I may have hit another level. I'm using gear I've picked up along the way. I'm not in a guild yet. I'm not antisocial, just slow to decide on things. :) I've been watching more vids today. I hate to peek ahead on the story but got curious when I heard it gets even harder. It appears the rest of the parts for level 20 are not as hard as this part, and nothing I don't think I can handle. In fact I was able to handle the north & south gates part of this one with no problem. It's the part where they all come swarming over the wall that I can't seem to do. Never made it to the elementals. lol. I appreciate the offers of help and may take one of you up on that eventually if I can't figure out a way to do it myself. I didn't know you could get help on the personal story. I don't know, somehow it just seems like the "personal" story should be something you do alone but I guess the game designers must have thought otherwise. Also I noticed in the vids that most of them were over level for that quest so maybe I'll take the advice of waiting til I'm higher level to try again. I hate getting rez killed over & over. :)

Wait, what now? Okay, I think this whole thread might've drifted away from the originial topic by now? I don't know about that. But what I do know, is that blocked players, cannot see you online nor know your location unless they've friended you or are literally right next to your toon in Divinity's Reach. There is a blocked list, yes, but there isn't a "These-people-have-me-blocked" list, right? Unless, I completely misunderstood the OP, here, which I probably did.Oh and this might've already been discussed, sorry 'bout that, I merely skimmed through the thread. As long as a player knows your account or character name, they can "friend" you whether you've blocked them or not. People can get your account name???? So they know all your characters simply by seeing one and putting you on some list without your knowledge or consent???? I'm a new player (less than a month) so please forgive my ignorance. I found this thread after much searching because I'm so unclear as to how this works, and I can't find anything on wiki that explains the mechanics of in-game privacy, etc., and because I ran into a situation where an obnoxious player started telling me I did something to some chubby cat or something (and standing with his asura nose in my norn crotch), and was angry about it and nattering on about nonsense. I tried to tell him that he must have me confused with someone else but to no avail so I logged off. So not a big deal in the grand scheme of things & so far I've not seen or heard from this person again, but it did get me to thinking about the whole privacy issue and I'd like to know if this is true that you have no choice in this game for someone to put you on a friend list or a follow list (first I've heard about a follow list). So how does it work, or where can I find info on it? Can random people I don't know just get my account name and then know all my characters if they decide they want to be a nuisance? Not that this person did or will, but down the road if someone decides they don't like you for some reason or think you're someone else, they just have the freedom to stalk? I must say the things I've been reading about this issue I'm finding a bit alarming and tbh it could influence whether or not I will stick with this game since privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I know there's a lot of people who feel it's no big deal, but imo, personal privacy and choice should trump all other considerations and the reasons should be irrelevant regardless of whether it's a case of true harassment or simply a matter of annoyance. No one can see your Account Name (email address associated with your game account).Everyone can see your Display Name (the name.xxxx with which you are posting in the forums) and can add to their Friends list; just as you can add anyone to your Friends list.The 'Followers' list is people who have added you to their Friends list that you have not added to your Friends list. I could be wrong but it sounds like you're talking about the forums. I was talking about in-game. The comment that I quoted in my original post appeared to be talking about in-game. So, in-game, can someone get your account name and/or put you on a friend or follow list and it affects all your characters on the account and they can therefore "follow" all your characters? Apologies. Yes, I meant one's handle (e.g. IndigoSundown.5419), not one's email. I can see why that would be confusing. Say someone sees you in game, or sees your character name in chat. They choose to "friend" you. Then, on their friend's list, they can mouse over and see your handle, which applies regardless of which character you are currently on. Unless you chose "Invisible" in the Contacts UI (at the top, the pull down menu by your handle), they would be able to see what map you are on. I see. Thanks for the answer. I have to say I'm not liking it. Guess I have some thinking to do. In almost 7 years, I have not had a problem. I suspect that is the case for most players, but I have no doubts that some players will abuse any feature in a game.I don't doubt that you're right, but for me it all gets back to the issue of it being without your knowledge or consent. That's just wrong on so many levels, imo. As a for instance, with the situation I mentioned in my original post above, let's say this person turned out to be some weirdo who wanted to stalk (he hasn't, just using as an example), the game allows this person to not only stalk one character but all characters, and I have no control over it. It allows them to know who all my characters are, even if I make a new one, and my forum name as well. Am I understanding this correctly?

Wait, what now? Okay, I think this whole thread might've drifted away from the originial topic by now? I don't know about that. But what I do know, is that blocked players, cannot see you online nor know your location unless they've friended you or are literally right next to your toon in Divinity's Reach. There is a blocked list, yes, but there isn't a "These-people-have-me-blocked" list, right? Unless, I completely misunderstood the OP, here, which I probably did.Oh and this might've already been discussed, sorry 'bout that, I merely skimmed through the thread. As long as a player knows your account or character name, they can "friend" you whether you've blocked them or not. People can get your account name???? So they know all your characters simply by seeing one and putting you on some list without your knowledge or consent???? I'm a new player (less than a month) so please forgive my ignorance. I found this thread after much searching because I'm so unclear as to how this works, and I can't find anything on wiki that explains the mechanics of in-game privacy, etc., and because I ran into a situation where an obnoxious player started telling me I did something to some chubby cat or something (and standing with his asura nose in my norn crotch), and was angry about it and nattering on about nonsense. I tried to tell him that he must have me confused with someone else but to no avail so I logged off. So not a big deal in the grand scheme of things & so far I've not seen or heard from this person again, but it did get me to thinking about the whole privacy issue and I'd like to know if this is true that you have no choice in this game for someone to put you on a friend list or a follow list (first I've heard about a follow list). So how does it work, or where can I find info on it? Can random people I don't know just get my account name and then know all my characters if they decide they want to be a nuisance? Not that this person did or will, but down the road if someone decides they don't like you for some reason or think you're someone else, they just have the freedom to stalk? I must say the things I've been reading about this issue I'm finding a bit alarming and tbh it could influence whether or not I will stick with this game since privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I know there's a lot of people who feel it's no big deal, but imo, personal privacy and choice should trump all other considerations and the reasons should be irrelevant regardless of whether it's a case of true harassment or simply a matter of annoyance. No one can see your Account Name (email address associated with your game account).Everyone can see your Display Name (the name.xxxx with which you are posting in the forums) and can add to their Friends list; just as you can add anyone to your Friends list.The 'Followers' list is people who have added you to their Friends list that you have not added to your Friends list. I could be wrong but it sounds like you're talking about the forums. I was talking about in-game. The comment that I quoted in my original post appeared to be talking about in-game. So, in-game, can someone get your account name and/or put you on a friend or follow list and it affects all your characters on the account and they can therefore "follow" all your characters? Apologies. Yes, I meant one's handle (e.g. IndigoSundown.5419), not one's email. I can see why that would be confusing. Say someone sees you in game, or sees your character name in chat. They choose to "friend" you. Then, on their friend's list, they can mouse over and see your handle, which applies regardless of which character you are currently on. Unless you chose "Invisible" in the Contacts UI (at the top, the pull down menu by your handle), they would be able to see what map you are on.I see. Thanks for the answer. I have to say I'm not liking it. Guess I have some thinking to do.

Wait, what now? Okay, I think this whole thread might've drifted away from the originial topic by now? I don't know about that. But what I do know, is that blocked players, cannot see you online nor know your location unless they've friended you or are literally right next to your toon in Divinity's Reach. There is a blocked list, yes, but there isn't a "These-people-have-me-blocked" list, right? Unless, I completely misunderstood the OP, here, which I probably did.Oh and this might've already been discussed, sorry 'bout that, I merely skimmed through the thread. As long as a player knows your account or character name, they can "friend" you whether you've blocked them or not. People can get your account name???? So they know all your characters simply by seeing one and putting you on some list without your knowledge or consent???? I'm a new player (less than a month) so please forgive my ignorance. I found this thread after much searching because I'm so unclear as to how this works, and I can't find anything on wiki that explains the mechanics of in-game privacy, etc., and because I ran into a situation where an obnoxious player started telling me I did something to some chubby cat or something (and standing with his asura nose in my norn crotch), and was angry about it and nattering on about nonsense. I tried to tell him that he must have me confused with someone else but to no avail so I logged off. So not a big deal in the grand scheme of things & so far I've not seen or heard from this person again, but it did get me to thinking about the whole privacy issue and I'd like to know if this is true that you have no choice in this game for someone to put you on a friend list or a follow list (first I've heard about a follow list). So how does it work, or where can I find info on it? Can random people I don't know just get my account name and then know all my characters if they decide they want to be a nuisance? Not that this person did or will, but down the road if someone decides they don't like you for some reason or think you're someone else, they just have the freedom to stalk? I must say the things I've been reading about this issue I'm finding a bit alarming and tbh it could influence whether or not I will stick with this game since privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I know there's a lot of people who feel it's no big deal, but imo, personal privacy and choice should trump all other considerations and the reasons should be irrelevant regardless of whether it's a case of true harassment or simply a matter of annoyance. No one can see your Account Name (email address associated with your game account).Everyone can see your Display Name (the name.xxxx with which you are posting in the forums) and can add to their Friends list; just as you can add anyone to your Friends list.The 'Followers' list is people who have added you to their Friends list that you have not added to your Friends list.I could be wrong but it sounds like you're talking about the forums. I was talking about in-game. The comment that I quoted in my original post appeared to be talking about in-game. So, in-game, can someone get your account name and/or put you on a friend or follow list and it affects all your characters on the account and they can therefore "follow" all your characters?

Wait, what now? Okay, I think this whole thread might've drifted away from the originial topic by now? I don't know about that. But what I do know, is that blocked players, cannot see you online nor know your location unless they've friended you or are literally right next to your toon in Divinity's Reach. There is a blocked list, yes, but there isn't a "These-people-have-me-blocked" list, right? Unless, I completely misunderstood the OP, here, which I probably did.Oh and this might've already been discussed, sorry 'bout that, I merely skimmed through the thread. As long as a player knows your account or character name, they can "friend" you whether you've blocked them or not.People can get your account name???? So they know all your characters simply by seeing one and putting you on some list without your knowledge or consent???? I'm a new player (less than a month) so please forgive my ignorance. I found this thread after much searching because I'm so unclear as to how this works, and I can't find anything on wiki that explains the mechanics of in-game privacy, etc., and because I ran into a situation where an obnoxious player started telling me I did something to some chubby cat or something (and standing with his asura nose in my norn crotch), and was angry about it and nattering on about nonsense. I tried to tell him that he must have me confused with someone else but to no avail so I logged off. So not a big deal in the grand scheme of things & so far I've not seen or heard from this person again, but it did get me to thinking about the whole privacy issue and I'd like to know if this is true that you have no choice in this game for someone to put you on a friend list or a follow list (first I've heard about a follow list). So how does it work, or where can I find info on it? Can random people I don't know just get my account name and then know all my characters if they decide they want to be a nuisance? Not that this person did or will, but down the road if someone decides they don't like you for some reason or think you're someone else, they just have the freedom to stalk? I must say the things I've been reading about this issue I'm finding a bit alarming and tbh it could influence whether or not I will stick with this game since privacy is a very big issue for me personally. I know there's a lot of people who feel it's no big deal, but imo, personal privacy and choice should trump all other considerations and the reasons should be irrelevant regardless of whether it's a case of true harassment or simply a matter of annoyance.

Thank you. :)

Great! Thanks :)

Hi, I was wondering about the list of daily things to do. Not sure how to word the question, but I'm wondering about, for instance, when it says View a Vista in such-and-such area. Do those take into account whether you've already completed a particular map? So for instance if I'm thinking about going and completing the starter maps for other races, and doing all the vistas, will I then be unable to go do a vista for the daily in that area? Not that I'm hung up on doing dailies. :) Mostly just curious how that works.