[For those that have been playing since launch, what was the most fun era for you and why?]

Everything up to the point where ANet caved to the holy trinity crowd.

 

GW2 might not be completely Tank, DPS and Heals but it's very close and much worse for it. Look at elite specs now, they're designed simply to give professions the ability to take on these roles (which is mainly by supplying specific boons) as much as they are about interesting twists on core mechanics or taking them in new directions.

 

I'd rather they stuck with their original vision and differentiated professions based on unique mechanics rather than access to boons. Boons used to be nifty little things that occured semi randomly and felt like bonuses to being grouped or cooperating with strangers. Now they're everything. They're so boring! Powerful, sure, but boring. 

[Why so often: "Few Players Remaining" in EoD maps?]

Most instances are ghost towns because a significant number of players are not participating in anything - they are looking at the LFG panel and spamming the Right click -> Join instance on the commander group in another instance. Once enough of them get out, the instance they were in begins shutdown.

[What will EoD be remembered for?]

The one with the boring masteries.

[Create your own Masteries – show your creativity]

Airship

 

A home away from aerodrome.

 

Description: A player house which is an airship. It can be "docked" in any map, in the sky, because that's where the air critical to the airship lives. The commander is often cast into far-off, unfamiliar places and this provides suitable fluff for the concept to exist and be sensible. In the way that Arborstone provides a multitude of conveniences and a resting buff, the airship could expand on these core concepts as a mobile forward staging area for the god-conquering, elder dragon-taming, seat-compatible Commander but also allow for customization. Have a keybind so that you get a WP confirmation prompt to immediately go to the airship so that it feels convenient, and the same key will return you to the spot you used it from.

 

Local Hero: Generate map-specific resources and currencies on a rolling basis when docked in a map - probably ticking in on an hourly basis during active play and the Commander is present in the map.

 

Field Training: Some sort of mechanics buff. Only in open world and again only when airship is present in map with Commander. Slot in a core profession Major Trait from a line that you don't have equipped? 

 

Fly Fishing: Where you are flying and fishing. Or catching flying fish. Or... just birds? Stray players gliding happily through the air? I admit that I haven't thought this one out. Fly Fishing! 

 

Air Support: Parachute in an NPC vendor that you have unlocked on the airship eg. a bank or tp agent, maybe crafting (plus bench) that sort of thing.

 

R & R: Spending time on the airship (whether logged in or out) accrues a resting buff; allow it to be more customizable than the Arborstone one (allow for magic find, karma boost, the usual suspects).

 

Honestly there's so much you could do with this. I thought about it for just a few minutes but I reckon this solves the housing request and gives us agency over a home/resting system that is always relevant.

[Meta Boons over-exploited,]

To clarify, I'm not really opposed to meta comps exploiting these boons. I play in these groups daily. I've been running a QHFB since PoF: I have been eating the same cheese as most of you, much of it happily so. But I guess I'm just fatigued by the way we're reducing specs/professions and compositions of groups down to these two boons. We don't have to, it's just quicker and easier to do so. Imagine endgame content. Now think about the squad you assemble for it. I will now read your mind. You want a healer, a source of alac, a source of quick and whatever the best dps is right now for the rest.

 

There's no depth. It's just "get the boons and faceroll the content". For a game with so many interesting pieces to it, this is all it's come down to. Instanced content right now is almost as casual as open world stuff - it just throws in a couple of mechanics. The player expression is still there in small pockets, whether it's in those mechanics or otherwise, but it feels under catered to. Professions/specs join your group and you see them through the lens of the boons they bring not the cool stuff they can add - with only a small handful of exceptions. 

[Meta Boons over-exploited,]

3 minutes ago, Katsugankz.7156 said:

Honestly, yeah. Playing without quickness at least has become incredibly tedious feeling, combat straight up feels better in almost every way with quickness.

I do think that the direction we're currently going isn't a bad alternative. Every class being able to give either quickness or alacrity seems like a nice compromise. 

This is another point I raised elsewhere and I agree wholly about - when you're out in the world and don't have quickness (or, actually doing the instanced content without a meta group) it really feels bad. You get so used to quickness. And actually.. yes it feels better with it. Make it baseline, cook it into every skill (diluted of course) and enjoy perma quickness lite even if you're in the remotest corner of a map doing some obscure achievement on the least well regarded espec. Life could be better.

[Meta Boons over-exploited,]

Just now, phandaria.4891 said:

Once Quick/Alac becomes baseline, the slot will just be replaced with another DPS boon. For example, Banner/Spirit gonna be so in-demand and prevalent, because that's just how it works.

I agree and this is why we don't just remove them. We have to give something else in their places. I discussed banners, spirits, group rez, etc., - it could be impactful stuff like all this. Sometimes more contextual. It's very tricky and absolutely the hardest part of this suggestion to make work because it would mean a soft rework for a lot of specs. A lot of work too. 

People will always settle on a meta and that's cool - my point is just how rigidly defined this one is and how it's over exploited and, to a point, over-catered to by ANet. Their idea to fix it is to change the symbol of the profession giving you the boon in the party window. I think ANet can do better than that.

[Meta Boons over-exploited,]

8 minutes ago, LuRkEr.9462 said:

Honestly the only real boons that are in-demand and prevalent in end game content are Stability and Aegis.

Those are important but have you ever looked at the LFG? Besides a healer, it's either asking specifically for a spec providing either of the boons I'm discussing or just directly using the names of the boons. They don't care half the time what is doing them, so long as the boons are on the bar.

[Meta Boons over-exploited,]

Two boons have come to dominate the meta. They're so in-demand and prevalent in end-game content they might as well be baseline. Maybe that's a terrible idea? Or maybe it frees up specialisations and play-styles to be more flavourful and not reduced to "It does the boon" or "It does the boon AND damage/heals". 

 

Globally increase skill activations speed by a third. Remove quickness.

 

Globally decrease skill cooldowns by 15%. Remove alacrity. 

 

Fill the gaps in professions/specs this would leave with something else that doesn't modify these stats. This is the hardest part. A few role identities would need to be revised/tweaked. The goal would be for these to feel more less like bots pulsing out these boons and more like the desirable/useful spec/profession abilities some already enjoy eg. banners, spirits, scourge group revives, life-steal, bonus attacks, AoE aegis/blocks, etc. 

 

Free the meta and specs from the chains of these boons and maybe a more interesting game could emerge? Everyone gets to enjoy a sort of perma quick and alacrity this way and we spice it up. 

[Something wrong with the Mega Server in EoD?]

Even during the launch of EoD you hardly saw anyone. I solo'd/gave up on on a bunch of events in Seitung (the first map!) because nobody showed up. The place was a ghost town. It was really weird because in any LW episode, nevermind a fully fledged expansion, players were prevalent. Even though ANet have upped the pop caps it still seems curiously desolate. 

[What would happen to you if you ate an Elder Dragon ?]

You gain the ability to cast putrid dragon's breath for a day or so. Sometimes it glitches and fires out the back.

[For the first time again]

The beta launcher attacking my eyeballs with the big dragon 2 and the theme fanfare blasting me off my seat.

 

[LFG is the opposite of Living World]

It's a valid complaint but I think it could be remedied a lot without butchering the purpose of the LFG by bringing the LFG up to speed.

The game didn't launch with the LFG tab - it was added much later. It's tacked on. It's functionality is basic and the interface and experience of using it is underwhelming and limitting. 

What ArenaNet should really do if they're taking a look at some core aspects of the game is really focussing on the LFG and making LFG it's own standalone item in the menu and making it industry leading and not some after thought. 

 

Instead of a dry list of text covering just about everything the people at ANet worked hard to deliver it ought to be a beautifully rendered  menu with evocative art for the matching content and packed with options. 

[What sound is this?]

One thing it might be is the legendary weapon The Moot, which is a mace.

It makes a popping/firework sound with every hit. The cadence of an auto attack combo is sort of like how you describe the sound - two quicker hits then a third one after a longer delay.

 

 

[Housing would be indeed great - i have a picture of that in my mind]

Although I think player housing is essentially redundant thanks to the aforementioned Home instances and Guild Halls I do have an idea for player housing. It's probably not the first time it's been thought of or mentioned either.

 

Player Airships. 

 

It has lots of potential, doesn't take up map space, could be integrated into an expansion and have some kind of world presence, is mobile (which makes sense for the Commander) and who the kitten doesn't love airships?

[Do you use your Turtle?]

I mainly use mine to flex on the one-seater plebian masses.

[Vindicator Greatsword Animations]

10 hours ago, warherox.7943 said:

Yeah I agree, gs#2 needs changes. Weapon skill animations should be different so players know what to dodge. 

 

6 hours ago, morsdood.1987 said:

Not too concerned about 4 though

 

Well this is the thing about 2 and the follow-up on 4 - I frequently am a bit unsure if they even happened. Especially the 4 follow-up. Because the animation is just the AA - am I just AAing? Did I use 2/4+? And yes, in PVP/WVW I can absolutely see your point, they need to be distinguishable from each other and even more so from the AA simply because the AA can be near constantly visually present.

[Vindicator Greatsword Animations]

Actually, Phantom's Onslaught (3) only looks weird if you don't hit something with it. If you do connect, it looks fine.

[Vindicator Greatsword Animations]

I think we could really improve the animations for some of the greatsword skills for Vindicator.

 

1. Mist Swing, Mist Slash, Arcing Mist.

The AA chain is fine. Functional, but fine. 

2. Mist Unleashed. 

Besides the visual on the ground, this one is weirdly underwhelming. It's just a horizontal swipe that is, or looks very identical to, one of the horizontal swings of the first two steps in the AA. Given how the effect on the terrain is depicted and how it appears, I feel like an vertical swing would be more appropriate - but really, almost anything is better than something lifted from the AA chain. It is more than a little too perfunctory and lacking in flair. But try this. Without hitting anything, just hold down 1. You'll swing that first AA a few times. Then, press 2. It's the same swing.

3. Phantom's Onslaught.

I guess this fine, excepting that the transition from ghostly/ethereal back to normal at the end of the dash is abrupt - maybe just a little bit of mist-fizz coming off the character would sell this better, or a rapid but not instant transition effect from mist to not mist. But it's not as pressing as 2 or...

4. Imperial Guard / True Strike.

Where we run into the same problem as 2. Once the block is completed, the follow up attack (True Strike) is seemingly the other of the first two auto-attacks. It's a bland, horizontal swipe. Fine in an AA, but just underselling what could be a big, fully charged up revenge smite. I also feel the little flash of mist powers that accompany it might be a bit bigger - perhaps scaling off the damage boost? 

5. Eternity's Requiem.

All good.

[Why GW2 will fail on Steam without core combat changes. (Alac/Quickness Boons too powerful)]

7 hours ago, LucianDK.8615 said:

Gw3 have never existed or been hinted at.

When Mike O'Brien and many others left, the project they were working on was a new game in very early stages of development and it was cancelled. It was rumoured at the time to be a new Guild Wars game.. 

[Why GW2 will fail on Steam without core combat changes. (Alac/Quickness Boons too powerful)]

I think the revamp of core Tyria is something ANet are trying to get in order before launching on Steam. That probably got kicked back by years about the time GW3 got axed and ANet lost a big % of its staff. Core Tyria is really dated and absolutely will not represent the game we know. I actually have a lot of confidence in ANet to bring it up to the standards of the expansions/LW - the only speculation I have is down to whether or not they mess with it beyond complexity/prettiness and squeeze in some new stuff pertaining to expansions we already have and maybe alluding to future content.

[Why I'm most excited for Steam]

I run GW2 through Steam anyway - just add it as a non-steam game (and you get access to the steam overlay, chats, friends, screen-share, screenshot & share, etc.,.

 

Definitely think the burst of new players will be good for the game - more active accounts, more money for ANet: it should mean only good things for the game!

[Scrying Pool Story Idea]

One last hurrah for Palawa Joko - a scrying pool scenario in which we play as Joko, possibly as he assumes the full scope and power of his lichdom - maybe even involving some lore expanding not just on the praiseworthy one himself, but perhaps tapping into the hows of his immortality within the context of Tyria.

Plus, just because you couldn't not do this, the meta-achievement for completion mastery on the mission should be the title I'm Lich, You Know.

 

 

[Why GW2 will fail on Steam without core combat changes. (Alac/Quickness Boons too powerful)]

I just want to sat that I wholly agree with the original post. 

 

Another point touched on briefly is how bad some professions/especs feel without those boons and how it seems implied that you'll be in a group where they'll be showered on you anyway. I don't think they necessarily design them with that built into their core mechanics but I do believe that ANet factor in the prevalence of those boons in endgame group content... and it also robs power from those professions who do provide them. Look at what happened to Catalyst already. 

 

Would the game be so bad if they just made quickness and alacrity baseline? Honestly, sometimes, when you get used to these boons the game actually feels worse when you don't have them on when you strike out into the open world alone. I'm sure their intrinsic numbers would need to be adjusted and entire especs reworked (and various runes, sigils and whatnot) so I recognise it's a lot of work and a huge headache... but if they're on tap in every "proper" group comp, stifling diversity, pigeon-holing specs/professions and becoming a straight-up requirement in the eyes of the playerbase doesn't it just make sense?

 

The other boons suffer from this problem too but they're generally more freely available so their impact on compositions is dramatically inferior by comparison. The ad-hoc nature of the boon system is kind of cool and not without merit and made much more sense in the context of the game at launch, where players were expected to spend most of their time out in the open world and boons were part of the expression of opportunistic collaboration between players. 

[The world you are attempting to join is full.]

19 hours ago, Turial.1293 said:

Since jumping map requires full attention of the player, they literally can't help the map they are on is the point I am making. Assume you are with friends/guild, you will want to be on the same map no matter what.

No no, that's very much my point too. 

I was, for a moment, considering why ANet haven't put in an instance queue/join automation and the only thing I could come up with is that they have some misplaced hope that the player will just try x number of times, give up joining manually, and maybe try to make the instance they're currently in a success. It happens sometimes, but not very much.