Psientist.6437

For the Elder Dragon plot, Icebrood is the important act 2 into act 3 transition. This section is normally extremely dense as themes and motivations are made concrete. It is also where we traditionally see the hero gain and test new powers. It is also common for the false mentor to appear. A centaur plot could have provided Jormag with victims and made the Asuran plot unnecessary. The last 4 episodes could have been stuffed with lore and emotional content. I doubt Aurene's new powers would be fully clarified, but that is not a requirement or engaging writing. How Aurene explorers her powers will tell us about her. That is the point. Or not. In season 4, the Commander dies defending Elder Dragons because active Elder Dragons are less of a threat to Tyria than the total destruction Tyria. In Icebrood, we kill 2 Elder Dragons because one of them says we can. Or not. Aurene's transformation is a blatant Deus ex bio-essentialism that can not be ignored. Her transformation can not be an un-fired Checkov's gun. It is a center stage explosion. The main cast must be aware of the implications. Rather than organically use a combination of show and tell, theatrics and exposition, the studio decided to stuff the center stage explosion into a mystery box. Maybe we would have seen the main cast admit they knew the potential existed. At the very least, we would have needed to see the main cast confirm the potential for success was high enough to take the risk. We could have sided with Jormag and staged a plan to kill Primordius, only to have the plan go wrong and both Dragons die. That would have forced the most dangerous plan on us while we only planned for the least dangerous. The motivations and expertise of the main cast would have been protected. Writer's can't use the "balance of X" device without invoking the structure of the device. The balance of X device is quantifiable, that is the point of the device. The hard version of the device invokes the necessity of opposing symmetries: Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Hot and Cold, Life and Death, Ying and Yang. The soft version invokes the necessity of particular ingredients like Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The Elder dragon plot is based on the ancient theme and device combination of domesticating personifications of nature. I do not want to watch the product of that domestication be trapped in an opposing symmetry. I don't want to watch her give up her personification, which is a real possibility. The plot has made it clear that personification, the physiological vulnerability to mental illness, of Elder Dragons is the threat. I want Aurene to survive and find a family on her own terms. That could include a family in the All. However, an All family, the requirement for, or advantage provided by, multiple Elder Dragons does not conform to the balance of X device. I am not just being pedantic. The need for friends or family is not the same thing as the need for friends or family of a specific type.

We may be casting humor past each other!

Pointing out challenges isn't denying. Let's not get carried away. Clipping may be a small challenge. Monetizing through the gem store is a bigger challenge. Swimsuits would need to compete for shelf space. However, the gem exchange exists and swimsuits would still generate income if offered through NPCs for gold. I wish votes is all it took to get content made but I am also realistic. About this at least.

Obviously there is no accounting for taste. You go ahead and twiddle your thumbs with boring naval combat. I will fish the kitten out of Tyria. I am getting ready by practicing my situational awareness and letting my 2 and 3 keys rest. The number pad is harder to use but I think it will be worth it when I learn fishing muscle memory. All kidding aside, of course naval combat would be exciting. I don't think we will see it though. The cost of passenger weapon mount points skyrocketed and the studio's supply is likely dedicated to the production of siege turtles. All kidding aside I will also fish the kitten out of Tyria.

At the 15 minute mark on the Twitch stream. Thanks steinnovels. No competition needed, just patience with the slow fishers on the skiff. Hopefully nodes refresh at a higher rate than other nodes. I would like the fishing farm to be unique. Perhaps time limited nodes could add some excitement.

I don't think anyone would be interested in naval combat. Sure, faction PvP from GW1 could be re-imagined as naval combat. Big Deal. Skiffs could attack an island defended by siege turtles. Weeeee! /s I regret bringing up something so boring.

I believe the fishing power buff requires proximity. The group or social aspect is minor. The only benefit I see from being in a party is to min/max and socialize. So far, fishing looks like something that anyone can do at their own pace. Skiffs may even be light on group activities. Those last two masteries better not be naval combat masteries. That would be awful. The last thing any of us want is naval combat.

Apparently, I voted in support of swim suits. I would play a Charr if old-timey swimsuits, including skull cap, where available. Not for long and the minute I need to jump I am back to a humanoid. Swimsuits aren't as easy as the OP is claiming. The smaller the clothing item, the more apparent clipping becomes. Any problems will be glaring. It would be challenging to monetize swimsuits through the gem store. The per suit price point couldn't be high, other outfits and items have established a general outfit price framing. There would be little sense in offering just one male and one female suit. There is limited shelf space in the gem store. Swimsuits could take shelf space from more profitable items. They could be released as a bundle though. Geared towards RP and the environment, NPC vendors may be the best way to deliver a swimsuit collection. As far as I am concerned, swimsuits would be worthwhile just for the excuse to add NPC designers competing for customers. The price framing problem would disappear and a suit could cost 100s of gold. kitten, suits could even be auctioned to the highest bidder. I think making swimsuits dependent on proximity to water would enhance their narrative.

I hope so as well and fishing holes were clearly described as being depleted. How Rubi referred to depletion sounded as though she were informing the group of something relevant to the group, not the individual. The party could leave a hole because it was depleted for the party. The competition would be most acute within parties. There is no statistical argument that hitting many fishing holes would equalize yields among individuals. Over many holes, any differences in skill or timing will be multiplied. Someone who needs 4 seconds to catch a fish will end up with a smaller share of the total number of fish from holes than someone who only needs 3 seconds.

How fishing holes are depleted needs to be clarified. Fishing doesn't need to be the most competitive PvE content. If fishing holes are depleted globally, even individuals within a party would need to compete. I have always been an advocate for fishing but fishing isn't worth adding competition (outside of the BLTP) over PvE resources.

I like the simplicity of the mini-game. I am looking for a reason to explore and collect. I also want a lot of fishing themed narrative design, especially NPC dialogue. I am glad to hear skiffs unlock the same way as basic mounts, just wish there were a 1-2 person version. I would also like to see weight and length stats applied for each fish, especially since collections can be repeated. Repeats could always deliver a new reward. With stats, time-limited collections work as derbies. These are some of my questions. How many words of fishing themed dialogue so far? Obviously, the fishing story never ends. How many new NPCs? I would trade crafting equipment for dialogue. Will fishing hole strikes be global or individual? Will I hate seeing a boat of other players? Will a party need to compete over each hole? Please, I don't want Tyrian fishing to be dominated by the train meta with each car competing internally. If global, will fishing hole spawns behave similarly to common foes with a smart spawning behaviour? The solo fisher would be better protected from acute competition than the skiff. How many fishing power buffs are there? If just one, how many sources besides party and/or proximity. I am not sure any of you are real. Being close makes it more confusing.

I think he is a good villain. I like a straight forward narcissistic predator who doesn't try to hide it from themselves. Not in general but as a villain. Compare him to someone like Thanos. Both are narcissistic predators. The person who will remake the universe into something that appreciates him is the real Thanos. The plan to save the universe is a cover story so he doesn't have to directly deal with his true nature. Thanos may be a more dramatic and complex character but there is a real place for someone like Joko.

Aurene doesn't say "I believe in magic balance." She says "I still believe in magic balance" as she is preparing to kill two Elder dragons. That language only makes sense if she thinks she is doing something that doesn't conform to "magic balance". There isn't any evidence Jormag is going mad except Aurene telling us. None of Jormag's actions demonstrate madness. Jormag's madness doesn't exist. All we are shown is anger. Here too, the writers are using language that doesn't map to anything real. It is just the semblance of drama. Why would Jormag believe telling Aurene that there isn't an All would convince Aurene to kill Primordius? Jormag tells us that "magic balance" is a myth in direct response to us saying we can't kill Primordius because of "magic balance." I think you are failing to see the two definitions of "magic balance" being used and how clumsily the writers try to juggle them. Did the Arcane Council know Aurene could manage the All by herself? Would they have so readily allied with Jormag if they did? I forget who was present and asked the question about why didn't we do this before. Apparently it took them by surprise, as though Tiami, Aurene and Commander decided not to tell them. edit: Tom Abernathy's comments on Twitter that Jormag always tells the truth infuriated this pretentious and feral English major. He did have a reason though.

Jormag wasn't lying about the "magic balance" being a myth. The scenes only make sense if we accept that everyone involved defines "magic balance" as meaning " X number of Elder Dragons linked together". Jormag isn't saying the need to cycle magic is a myth. Jormag doesn't want the world to end. This is the main drama of the A plot in IBS and the plot logic is so unnatural, it doesn't read well enough for people to understand. The hand wavy use of the term "magic balance" is partly responsible for the confusion. Imo, the writers intentially use the fuzziness of the term to hide the revelation of Aurne's abilities until the last moment. Aurene's abilities are a white elephant, Jormag tells Aurene she is free to kill other Elder Dragons and we respond by deciding to kill 2 Elder Dragons. Make no mistake, Jormag gives the plot permission to address the white elephant. That scenario conforms to a very old archetype found in the traditional hero's journey, the hero, learning about their abilities, receives "training" from a flawed teacher who wants to use the hero for their own gains. IBS and scenes like the resurrection of Aurene show that you can't approach archetypes as though you can just plug them in and expect them to play. I like this scene as well, though for perhaps different reasons. Joko is the archetypal edgelord. Just as he reaches maximum edgelord swagger, Aurene swoops in an says no, you are no now archetypal dragon poop.

The problem isn't the lack of clues, but that the clues are so obvious and within character expertise that characters need to confront them. The clues were a white elephant and a rational audience would interpret ignoring the white elephant to mean it isn't real. Especially if your audience is shown characters who have the expertise to see white elephants and had used that expertise to show that white elephants don't exist. Are you arguing that Tiami, Aurene and the Commander entered IBS and confronted Jormag knowing Aurene was capable of "balancing" the All? I agree that some of IBs's plot logic makes more sense if they did. If so, the most important discussion in the story so far happened off camera and our failure to share that information makes us partly responsible for the frozen civilians. The problem with the term magic balance is that it can mean anything. It has become a cliche. What Aurene is supposedly able to do can't really be described as balancing. Aurene cycles magic. What is she keeping in balance? Why would Aurene tell us she still believes in "balance" if what she is possibly capable of doing is "balance"? Our A plot has become so hand wavy it can't support drama or practical melodrama. You and I aren't going to see eye to eye on this. I don't care about solving some kitten plot puzzle made of cliched mystery boxes. I want drama or practical melodrama and we are not getting it from the A plot. The A plot is mostly just us being told what to do. Crystal Dragon Jesus is an archetype, but elevating an individual to the highest power level we know and having everyone depend on that individual's good graces is a kitten resolution to the theme of community. That is probably what annoys me the most. Once again, the theme of community is going to be used to deliver the theme of respect authority, respect those with power. I am still holding out hope though. There are resolutions, like returning the All to a wild or independent state, that resonate with the theme.

The first 2 examples have nothing to do with Aurene being able to balance the All on her own. How many possible ways could Aurene be different besides her potential ability? No one touches the possibility that she can until Jormag tells us balance is a myth. Jormag wouldn't have to tell us balance is a myth unless no one kittening knew! I agree with you the signs were there. I have been talking about the transition away from the 6 sphere config for years. A trail of bread crumbs that can be connected into a plot after everything has happened isn't drama. Drama occurs when the search for bread crumbs is relatable and compelling as the search happens. The search for breadcrumbs about Aurene's abilities never even happened. It is happening now, after Jormag told us how she was special.

This would make the "dragon" aspect of Dragon Jade a coincidence. That is possible but I would think a purposeful path for the Dragon empire towards DragonJade would be more compelling.

A plot or plot premise, even if it is bulletproof, isn't drama. Verisimilitude, the appearance of being true or real, is a vital ingredient for drama. Our B and C plots are dramatic because they revolve around topics, like politics or family, that an audience can relate to and therefore can believe the characters emotions and stakes are real. The first seasons of Game of Thrones were dramatic because the world felt real, character actions were believable and therefore compelling. The last seasons flopped as a drama because the writers stopped caring about verisimilitude. When did everyone learn that Aurene might be able to "balance" the All on her own? Did it happen off camera? Did we go all in on killing Jormag and Primordius because Jormag told us we could? When did the most important question get answered? I expect writers and creatives to manipulate me. I want my brain and heart poked and jabbed. I am not going to call people emoting at vapor-ware plotting, drama. Our B and C plots are genuine drama. Our A plot is just the semblance of drama.

I was excited for a speaking Aurene. I loved the work put into making the All a distinct character and Aurene was going to be our window into the All. The All is complex and I wanted to watch her navigate that complexity. I foolishly thought the story would become more intelligent. Instead of complexity, we got false promises that she had information. She was reduced into being a part of Taimi's machine from season 3. She goes from eating Joko to being afraid of getting involved. Every opportunity to dig into the bond between the Commander and speaking Aurene was wasted. I am not even sure the All still exists. All we hear about now is some cliche about magic balance. For kitten's sake, in IBS Aurene watches magic balance trap Jormag and Primordius in perpetual conflict, we then use magic balance to annihilate them. Yet believing in "magic balance" is an important part of her motivation?!?!? Is she a sadist or just blood thirsty? She is an Eldritch being without a functional cosmology to map her personality or motivations to. Serialized drama my kitten. The Elder Dragon story isn't even a practical, serialized melodrama. It is simply serialized. The b plots are drama/ practical melodrama, this studio can do drama. Aurene isn't immortal. There is no way that a spell capable of rebuilding Joko or a high dragon is also able to rebuild an Elder Dragon.

All a civilization needs to make scientific progress is an evidence based method for studying nature, people able to use the method and resources to keep these people busy. With these ingredients, Canthan science would progress despite being isolated from Kryta. Some really interesting possibilities with DragonJade. If I remember correctly, most of the lesser and high dragons in Cantha were corrupted by the Jade Wind. Kuunavang and other high dragons could have begun studying ways to remove that corruption. Their research would naturally overlap with any research being done by Canthans. We could find the very thing that drove Kralkatorik mad, dragons and mortals living in peace. If we want to find out more about the beginning of the Elder Dragon cycle we need a reliable source of information. The DSD is the only reliable source. The information could be delivered in a villain speech but there is a more interesting possibility. The DSD wakes and heads for the Jade Sea, a source of divine magic the size of an ocean. Canthans use DragonJade to trap the DSD. Since they are the dragon kingdom and Dragon Jade was developed in part to free high dragons from corruption, they keep it imprisoned. Doesn't hurt that their DragonJade machine is made more powerful. The machine bears some of the burden of All and the DSD slowly regains some of their sanity. They tell us how the All and the Dragon Cycle started. As Elder Dragons die, the machine is pushed to its limits and the prison is beginning to fail. The ruler of Cantha decides Cantha isn't a spoke on a cosmic wheel, Cantha is the cosmic wheel. Rather than work with us to reset the cycle, they free the DSD and become its Champion. edit: An imprisoned DSD could also explain why Taimi's "research" failed to deliver data about the DSD.

The character of No Face is, imo, the ideal representation of the "Everyman" archetype's topology or internal geometry. Spirited Away is an ideal presentation of the dangers posed by mismanaging the archetype. Arenanet has mismanaged the archetype. I am unwilling to teach the forum what this means especially when there is so much baggage connected to the subject.

I was born in an English speaking country and earned a bachelors in literary criticism and fine arts in the same country. I am also neural atypical and struggle with maintaining a flow-state when communicating. This was written mostly for the studio and less for those who only think they understand story telling.

I give you a hard time about your hyper-realistic approach to lore curation. This isn't hyper-realistic lore curation and I hope you see the difference. This is lore curation that helps the audience by letting the story be itself. Slightly sloppy and hard to pin down is often the point of story telling.

I don't know everything about archetype topology and narrative topography but it looks like this bath house is packed with satiated No Faces. Taimi isn't yours to eat. Eating her would not stop the bath house from using Auran magiphysics to cover up the problems with the plumbing. No-faces are a challenge but they will always be agents facing a relatability and competency dilemma. I embrace myself as a cell in the No Face body. The creatives are the bath house. The bath house is responsible for maintaining The Theme: immutable codependency insists on game-play. Overall character topology has degraded into a No face sludge. Taimi and Aurene are almost No faces; at best, rag dolls. We need to take Tyria and NPC characters more seriously and we can't expect No faces with gullets packed with combat logic to spontaneously care about controlling their appetite. Or to understand that character dimension is needed for positive sum The Thematic game-play. Lack of leverage is a distinct feature of No face's archetype topology. In the last DRM, NPCs make a "joke" that is actually a commonly used test of the protagonist's awareness of their position in The Theme. It is used to generate expansive narrative topography. The Commander responds with the ideal No face response. "Do you see me?" A response that can't provide leverage. Imo, the bath house's approach to the PC protagonist paradigm contributes to the negative sum sludge. I know this is criticism and hope it displays a love for the dilemma. I know the narrative has improved. Braham and the Commander shared moments of genuine chemistry. The emotional stakes are there. The leap of faith into Braham's topology is beautiful. Fix the kittening plot and them logic. If the bath house wants Mad Max: Fury Road clarity of The Theme we need reliable world logic and a functioning protagonist.

Ok, let me try again. I know it exists in the story. I am agreeing with you that the premise is realistic and belongs in the story! I am critiquing how the writer's approached this example of the premise. The All needs a specific configuration for balance or it doesn't. Our understanding of All balance is either true or false. Honestly, by this point, the concept of balance has become too hand wavy to interrogate. She certainly kept claiming she learned a lot about the All, mortals couldn't even begin to understand it. She absolutely learned her nature opened new possibilities. She wasn't born and trained to stabilize or balance the All. She was intended to help mortals. Instead, she insists on trying to maintain the status quo? How is Aurene advancing this hypothetical plan besides telling everyone not to trust Jormag and sparring with Jormag? Is she doing anything besides advancing a plan for their deaths? She deprives her people of critical information about herself until the last moment. We can realistically and organically stall her entry into the fight but we can't do the same with her knowledge and her relationship with her people. edit: At some point the Commander, filled with frustration with Aurene, asks Aurene if she will kill. She responds, Yea but don't worry, something will come up. That line only makes sense if there is a lot of other stalling dialog. It is from the very bottom of the stalling dialog barrel. I cringed when I came across it and then my heart went to person responsible. They knew and hated what they were doing to Aurene and her relationship with her Champion.