[Suggestion] Add a vanilla/free game mount for new players. (before steam release if possible)

[Erise.5614]

6 minutes ago, Miss Lana.5276 said:

I wouldn't be opposed to non-expac accounts given access to a super basic speed-boost-only mount.

I saw the mention of a possible rented mount, and think that would be a good idea. Have the most basic, no special skills mount that players can rent for a silver/gold price. That way it wouldn't need to tie into the mastery system, and wouldn't decrease the "value" of the current mounts.

However, I'm also ok with this not being implemented. There's only ever been twice I've been asked "when do I unlock a mount". I think new players are busy learning the game. Having too much information packed in a short while can cause an overload of information, which can cause players to quit. Let's be real, no one wants to read. We want to play the game.

One very important aspect to consider is the stamina bar. What makes GW2 mounts special is the associated minigame. Making it more interesting to travel with mounts. Despite it being very basic. 

If that is not present the full mount system would seem less interesting. 

So the speed boost system would need a similar minigame but at that point it's probably not worth the implementation effort anymore.

Also in regards to rentals. I'm worried about logistics. I like that almost nothing in GW2 is rental based. You unlock it or you unlock a worse / cheaper version. Monetization around rentals gets bad real quick. So, personally, I'd prefer ANet to build as few systems regarding rentals / temporary access as possible as to not build the systems and pipelines to roll it out more widely and attach it to more gem / purchase stuff.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Erise.5614

[kharmin.7683]

14 hours ago, Zauriel Mooncat.4968 said:

 

Jokes aside tho, I do believe that new players should have access to a raptor IF they have purchased any or the expansions or core game.

 

If they have purchased PoF, then they have access to a raptor.  They need only do the first story step.

[xDumplinx.7983]

Why not just make an extremely basic mount available through a collection that has required achievements in episodes of the personal story. A few of the achievement items hidden in deep dark caves or at the end of an early jumping puzzle would encourage exploration. Maybe make the reward for finishing Claw Island the last part of the collection and the mount (albeit pretty much a horse on drugs or something) be the reward as a thank you for your efforts.

 

Or possibly make a mount part of an achievement for completing an early dungeons multiple paths. 

 

Either way new players will be encourage to explore, and within a short time get a mount that is faster then walking but requires paid expansions to “upgrade” to the full version

 

just my thoughts

[voltaicbore.8012]

32 minutes ago, Labjax.2465 said:

because I dared to share my authentic experience with the product and relate it to a conversation about design.

Well, you are the person who also said

On 4/30/2022 at 10:40 PM, Labjax.2465 said:

What does pretending like your anecdotal perspective as a veteran speaks for new players have to do with this thread?

So just as you're unconvinced by someone else's anedotal experience as a veteran, many of us don't think your personal experience as a returning "newcomer" of sorts is very compelling in terms offering design direction. And no, it doesn't matter that this thread is about the newcomer experience - if the anecdotal nature of our experiences is a problem, then your position is just as weak as the veteran shrugging their shoulders thinking everything is fine.

If it wasn't obvious already, I'm one of the shoulder-shrugging veterans. Here's my own anecdotal experience you can dismiss.

I'm not an RPer by any means, but I do make themed characters and play them a certain way just to keep things interesting. One of them is a core warrior that I decided to make into a ronin of sorts. Among the other limitations I put on his gameplay, one of them is having lost access to his stable of mounts. If I want him to reach anything fast, it's entirely on greatsword 5 (one of the other things he lost access to was a huge inventory of weapons, all he made it out with was his greatsword lol).

Guess what? With the sole exception of some events (mostly bandits and the spider queen kills) on Kessex Hills during bauble rotation, I made it to every event I attempted to get to. Outside of the bauble-farming crowds, I never had a problem with events being completed before I could even use greatsword 4 to tag a few things from range.

I'm sure it helped that I knew my way around the maps already, but more so than that... I just haven't seen these excessive numbers of people racing ahead on mounts and wiping out events. If my silly RP-walking ronin can manage it, so can almost any new player that is actually trying to get somewhere.

 

[TheWaternymphHC.1847]

6 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

If they have purchased PoF, then they have access to a raptor.  They need only do the first story step.

If they have purchased EoD they could technically get the basic versions of the Glider,  the Raptor and the Springer at level 2! All it takes is a teleport to friend and someone standing next to one of the two renown heart NPCs that reward each mount in the southern part of New Kaineng City. 

5 hours ago, xDumplinx.7983 said:

Why not just make an extremely basic mount available through a collection that has required achievements in episodes of the personal story.

What about NO?

You are aware that ANet made it trivially easy to acquire the basic mounts in EoD? There is absolutely no need to make it unnecessarily complicated to get a mount, just to avoid some hurt feelings of players who started with the game earlier.

If it was up to me, I'd make the basic versions part of the level up rewards which should have been reworked for a while now anyway. For example:

• Glider at 20 for anyone with any expansion
• Raptor at 40 for anyone with PoF or EoD
• Springer at 60 for anyone with PoF or EoD

IF one wanted to make it more immersive which would probably be better, but a more time consuming change, the devs could add three more renown hearts to core Tyria at the above mentioned level range and use the glider and the mounts as rewards.

[DragonMoon.6098]

14 minutes ago, TheWaternymphHC.1847 said:

If they have purchased EoD they could technically get the basic versions of the Glider,  the Raptor and the Springer at level 2! All it takes is a teleport to friend and someone standing next to one of the two renown heart NPCs that reward each mount in the southern part of New Kaineng City. 

This is all bearing on the assumption that a new player is willing to find someone to teleport to...and spend enough time with them to walk them through clearing the reward heart (considering EoD is a level 80 area). Folks seem to forget that not everybody wants to be social. 

I can understand the frustration of a new player coming in and seeing veterans zooming around starter maps on all the mounts...and being s. o. l. 

Edited May 2, 2022 by DragonMoon.6098

[Erise.5614]

10 minutes ago, DragonMoon.6098 said:

This is all bearing on the assumption that a new player is willing to find someone to teleport to...and spend enough time with them to walk them through clearing the reward heart (considering EoD is a level 80 area). Folks seem to forget that not everybody wants to be social. 

I can understand the frustration of a new player coming in and seeing veterans zooming around starter maps on all the mounts...and being s. o. l. 

I mean. To be fair. It's fine to leave new players wanting and looking forward to a certain unlock.

So long as the experience in the moment is solid too it's all good. People starting out really aren't the problem when we are talking mount unlocks. 

Personally I'm most concerned about story chronology. Pushing players into story content far beyond where they are within the story, leaving them confused by what's going on. But also having it recommended to go through that to unlock the best gameplay features asap. It has a risk of having them disengage with the story and ultimately loose interest more easily. Not a huge risk. So there is a valid question whether it's worth it or how much effort should be put into it. But potentially reducing that is a more valid goal than getting level 2 players onto mounts asap. No matter what form that may take.

[TheWaternymphHC.1847]

15 minutes ago, DragonMoon.6098 said:

This is all bearing on the assumption that a new player is willing to find someone to teleport to...and spend enough time with them to walk them through clearing the reward heart (considering EoD is a level 80 area).

You don't have to clear those hearts... You literally just have to talk to the heart NPCs. I think, I have updated the wiki around two weeks ago to reflect the current state of the game.

Even if you don't find anyone to help you, you could always use the group finder and teleport to one of the folks parked at the JP in NKC. Since you are rewarded with the glider after entering any EoD zone for the first time, you can probably glide and walk to the NPCs, although it might be a bit dangerous for someone who hasn't been there before and is not advised for a level 2.

[DragonMoon.6098]

4 minutes ago, TheWaternymphHC.1847 said:

You don't have to clear those hearts... You literally just have to talk to the heart NPCs. I think, I have updated the wiki around two weeks ago to reflect the current state of the game.

Even if you don't find anyone to help you, you could always use the group finder and teleport to one of the folks parked at the JP in NKC. Since you are rewarded with the glider after entering any EoD zone for the first time, you can probably glide and walk to the NPCs, although it might be a bit dangerous for someone who hasn't been there before and is not advised for a level 2.

You're looking at it from the perspective of a veteran player, and not a new player who would have no idea which way is up. They'd still be learning the basics of the game at this point. Not to mention @Erise.5614 has an excellent point that expecting players to jump to EoD maps would throw them for a loop story-wise if they enjoy any sort of role playing when it comes to discovering maps in order. 

Edited May 2, 2022 by DragonMoon.6098

[TheWaternymphHC.1847]

So what?

Whether you are a veteran or a newbie to the game doesn't change the fact how the mounts are acquired. I didn't claim that it was something that is obvious to anyone or intuitive to do. I basically stumbled over the glider unlock last night by accident, when starting to set up my 4th EoD alt-account.

Also keep in mind that new players to GW2 don't have to be new to MMOs or gaming in general. Considering the willingness of certain players to game the system, some will do so no matter what you or I might think about it.

In the end it's up to ANet to consider what the initial experience of the game should be like. Personally I think that they do a very poor job when it comes to introducing new systems to the game in low level areas, just look at the mess fishing turned out to be in Tyria. If they didn't intend mounts for low level characters, they could have limited their use in low level areas years ago.

Edited May 2, 2022 by TheWaternymphHC.1847

[Ashgar.3024]

Either give new players the raptor at level 10 or implement the "rent a mount" thing from EOD everywhere in Core/HoT.

 

Its so backwards to tell people to buy an xpack and boost a lvl 80 just to unlock the raptor so they can move around on all their characters.

[disco.9302]

On 4/30/2022 at 12:18 PM, Ironhide Wolf.3275 said:

TLDR: Suggestion, add a mount to the vanilla game that you can get in a starter city ASAP, no masteries required. (maybe even before steam release if possible.)

 

Long version:

I know development is going strong in so many areas, and dev-power is likely in short supply, BUUUUTT...
First impressions to a new player need to be GW2's/Anets/Community's best foot forward, especially when taking a steam launch into account. Starting areas have received very little attention since launch. Would be great to see this content get some polish love, and a super early mount is this topics suggestion on one way to do that.

I've been seeing new players having done some research into the game use their level 80 boost strictly to get a taxi to PoF for a quick raptor mount. I've also watched quite a few "Im new to GW2" YouTube videos and Twitch streams lately and noticed those who didn't grab a mount feel like the game is a bit slow traversing Tyria on foot. some say they may have quit if they were not "Surrounded by such an awesome community"(love you guys, community and dev's). But, the vast majority of new players won't be streamers or content creators. So, I feel like this might be a hard but possible thing to do to keep a higher new player retention count upon a steam release. 

I was thinking it would be neat to add a mount to vanilla/free GW2 that a player could obtain as soon as they get into their racial starter city. No mastery points required. Maybe even have a little mission to retrieve it, IDK. It doesn't have to be as fast as a raptor or be able to jump like a springer. Maybe give it a little extra movement speed on use of its Endurance bar skill like a sprint button for a mount. Just something that is fun to ride and moves the player around Tyria quicker than a Herald blasting the Facet of Elements for 24/7 swiftness. Maybe even add the ability to mount up in early missions.

I know Anet is playing around with the speed at which players level up. IMO, I don't think the leveling speed is the game speed issue that new players experience, its traversal speed compared to the GW2 Veteran they see flying by on a raptor or even a siege turtle. "Awesome! When do I get a mount!?" ... "2 expansions in, kiddo." ... *Watches the excited glimmer in their eyes dry up on stream*

IMO this would do a few things.

- This would increase new player retention, resulting in a higher possible customer pool for the Anet and a higher player count for the rest of us to game with.

- This would allow new players to retain their level 80 boost and use it on a character they really want to use it on rather than blowing it just to get a mount asap. Or allow players to experience the game spoiler-free but also have the speed that a mount offers.

- This would also give Anet another mount to monetize skins from for a higher revenue gain.

A win-win depending on how much dev time and resources this could take.

 

__________________ End of suggestion__________________

I have a couple other suggestions like every other player out there, but I wanna see where this specific one goes. 

Hope a dev gives this a little skimming over if the 'tldr' elevator pitch was good enough xD.

 

Been playing Guild Wars since early GW1 days, but this is my first time using the forums. So im sure I did something horribly wrong.

I tried searching for a topic like this but couldn't find any after searching a few pages, so sorry if this is a double-post, or if I messed up some other forum etiquette.

 

PS. For the love of the legions, don't make it a Horse. #TeamHorsesAreNOTReal

- Felan.

Goodness gracious! Someone with an original idea!? This definitely hasn't been suggested many times before by multiple posters!

We should really give f2p players more things than the paying ones because they have so little and it makes sense for sure to do that. Great idea OP 😂

 

[rezzonico.8046]

On 4/30/2022 at 1:18 PM, Ironhide Wolf.3275 said:

TLDR: Suggestion, add a mount to the vanilla game that you can get in a starter city ASAP, no masteries required. (maybe even before steam release if possible.)

 

 

I agree, they lost a good opportunity when they introduced the warclaw, sadly they still do not understand that it would be the perfect way to give this mount a purpose in PVE to core game players (mainly those that at the time payed for the game for example) and now it's only useful in WvW to run faster also because as a siege it makes you laugh, and it will never be taken into consideration by the developers, just imagine that for years despite numerous reports there have been bugs relating to this mount, for example quotes of the fact that with the right mastery it goes faster in friendly territory (nerfed for no reason time ago)

Edited May 2, 2022 by rezzonico.8046

[mythical.6315]

4 hours ago, TheWaternymphHC.1847 said:

You are aware that ANet made it trivially easy to acquire the basic mounts in EoD?

 

I didn't realize that they did that.

Edited May 2, 2022 by mythical.6315

[kharmin.7683]

5 hours ago, DragonMoon.6098 said:

 Not to mention @Erise.5614 has an excellent point that expecting players to jump to EoD maps would throw them for a loop story-wise if they enjoy any sort of role playing when it comes to discovering maps in order. 

It's a good thing that mounts are not required to complete core Tyria content so that players can actually progress the story in the correct order without needing to use a mount.

[Ashen.2907]

7 hours ago, Ashgar.3024 said:

Its so backwards to tell people to buy an xpack and boost a lvl 80 just to unlock the raptor so they can move around on all their characters.

 No one is telling people to buy an expac and boost to 80 so they can move around on all of their characters for the simple fact that one can move around on all of one's characters without doing either of those things.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Ashen.2907

[TheWaternymphHC.1847]

3 hours ago, mythical.6315 said:

I didn't realize that they did that.

ANet actually simplified the acquisition of the Raptor with one of their first major EoD bugfix-patches. Originally one had to do the small task Mai Trin gives the player to help her enter her apartment during the expansion story. However the Raptor could be unlocked at any point before that, regardless of how far one was into the storyline.

Personally I suspect that I'm not the only one who grabbed the Raptor and Springer on their alt-accounts as soon as they arrived in Cantha. Maybe that hints to some willingness on ANet's side to consider some changes people are suggesting in this thread.

Btw, I did some minor updates to the wiki today. Anyone with an EoD account who still misses the Glider, Raptor or Springer should be able to figure out how to get them earlier if they desire.

[lorddarkflare.9186]

8 hours ago, TheWaternymphHC.1847 said:

If they have purchased EoD they could technically get the basic versions of the Glider,  the Raptor and the Springer at level 2! All it takes is a teleport to friend and someone standing next to one of the two renown heart NPCs that reward each mount in the southern part of New Kaineng City. 

What about NO?

You are aware that ANet made it trivially easy to acquire the basic mounts in EoD? There is absolutely no need to make it unnecessarily complicated to get a mount, just to avoid some hurt feelings of players who started with the game earlier.

If it was up to me, I'd make the basic versions part of the level up rewards which should have been reworked for a while now anyway. For example:

• Glider at 20 for anyone with any expansion
• Raptor at 40 for anyone with PoF or EoD
• Springer at 60 for anyone with PoF or EoD

IF one wanted to make it more immersive which would probably be better, but a more time consuming change, the devs could add three more renown hearts to core Tyria at the above mentioned level range and use the glider and the mounts as rewards.

 

This. All of this.

I STRONGLY suggest they create renown hearts and events for all of these in my opinion.

Definitely more involved, but makes the experience better overall.

[Bladestrom.6425]

On 4/30/2022 at 9:24 PM, Gehenna.3625 said:

I hated this game so much at launch and all the zones were so tedious that I quit the game for a long time. I came back after HoT was released and gliding was there...that was soooooo much of an improvement already.

I bet a lot of new players are not going to be as patient as you are.

 

mm , I recall everyone loving the game when it first released, the world build was well regarded.  I think many get jaded over time and project that thinking onto others.  Comparing GW2 to every other AAAA mmorpg the world is pretty stunning.  

[standardFoe.2983]

I literally hate this topic. Mounts in MMO's were only ever supposed to enhance experience not be the end all and of course to get people to spend money on skins.

 

Seriously if walking on foot while leveling up is going to make new players rage-quit then how are they going to react to grinding for griffon or skyscale or raiding to complete legendaries? If players want an easy game that hands out perks for free they can......oh wait no MMO's do that otherwise the companies that own them wouldn't be able to pay their employees.

 

Core Tyria is absurdly easy to get a round in on foot no gliding or mounts necessary and did I miss something or did leveling all of sudden become impossible without them? That is literally how those maps were designed since mounts didn't happen until PoF. Plus there are many resources to help with players get around, both TacO and Reactif have trail markers for on foot exploration for  pre-PoF maps or look up one of many guides online.

 

And if players feel like Anet is forcing them to buy an expansion to get access to a few perks how would everyone feel about paying a monthly sub for access? Because if players don't have incentive to buy the expansions GW2 will die.

[DarcShriek.5829]

Sometimes I think that players forget that devs need to eat too.

[The Boz.2038]

Base no-mastery glider, springer and raptor, like EoD gives you, seem like a good idea.

[Liorenath.5098]

I guess a Masteryless Raptor after lvl 10 missions should be ok, so you don't go super fast, but at least you don't fall behind every other player.
Any other mount or even the glider are very expansion tied, there is really no need for them in core tyria.
 

[Randulf.7614]

I am not against rentals placed here and there to allow speedy travelling and as a taster, much as festival ones do for race access. Core mounts otherwise aren’t really necessary

[kharmin.7683]

1 hour ago, The Boz.2038 said:

Base no-mastery glider, springer and raptor, like EoD gives you, seem like a good idea.

Anything given for free without any effort seems like a good idea to anyone receiving it.