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

[voltaicbore.8012]

4 hours ago, Bastrii.3047 said:

*Sigh.* As a new player, I would have gotten so much farther on my own with a mount available to me earlier in the game. I would have played the game longer, I would have probably bought DLCs earlier. I would have spent a lot more time doing things in-game. Instead, I felt unnecessarily restrained by not having access to a quality of life change, that I just lost all will to keep playing and quit.

While I totally get what you're saying about the first time you quit (feeling left behind when seeing mounted players zoom past), mounts have nothing to do with the second time you quit.

You quit because you couldn't figure out how to use Dragonhunter's longbow in PvE (it can be quite damaging... 5-digit damage numbers on longbow 2, which is on a 3s cooldown and doesn't need to be aimed manually).

Having access to mounts did nothing to really take away the sting of not having your build work out for you. Even assuming your experience is fairly typical, then all that a mount will do is have new players reach a different point of failure with more speed and convenience.

That said, purely because I'm a bit sick of seeing these threads, I say ANet should implement a less flashy and extremely slow mount with minimal (if any) upgrade capacity. Something like a pack bull. It should be faster than running on foot, but still slower than base raptor. Basically something to take care of the "I'm getting totally left behind" issue without fully replicating a mount that people actually paid money to have unlimited access to.

 

 

[Kaliwenda.3428]

15 minutes ago, voltaicbore.8012 said:

...

That said, purely because I'm a bit sick of seeing these threads, I say ANet should implement a less flashy and extremely slow mount with minimal (if any) upgrade capacity. Something like a pack bull. It should be faster than running on foot, but still slower than base raptor. Basically something to take care of the "I'm getting totally left behind" issue without fully replicating a mount that people actually paid money to have unlimited access to.

 

 

Dolyak mount! 

[kharmin.7683]

4 hours ago, Bastrii.3047 said:

I don't see how you equate moving around the world faster to easier combat situations. There's no equivocal value there at all. One is a general time saver by reducing the least fun aspects of the game, the other literally changes the difficulty of the game dramatically. A quality of life change would be things that cut down on the least fun aspects of the game. Combat is fun. Cutting down on it via raw power makes it less fun, unless if you're rising to meet harder challenges - which you need DLCs and higher levels to even *do*, and the knowledge to reach this harder content.

Let me give an example of quality of life changes, and how the effect the general populace. I've played tons of MMOs that went through quality of life overhauls; I'll use Archeage as my core example.

In Archeage (later patches) you had to do a bunch of daily quests. These were mandatory to increase your power. It was also a massive time burn; 2 hours every single day, and you had to do it. This led to massive player burn out, and only the most dedicated would have time for it every single day. None of them were optional; if you missed several sessions of this, you were now behind several hundred points in gear score.

The devs changed this by compacting the dailies into weeklies; they now took around four hours to do all together, but you could space it out throughout the week. This led to better player retention overall.

 

Traveling through Tyria isn't a fun experience. It's slow. It's boring. You're traveling at a snails pace. But if you buy PoF, you can do one mission - ruin the intro to the expac - and skip all the crucial leveling just to get a mount. OP has a serious point. Movement through the world isn't good. Not with the sheer cliffs and slopes often preventing most movement. I want you to go make a new character, and don't use any mounts. Walk. See how quickly the game starts to drag on when you can't cover any sort of ground besides teleporting (so you're just sitting through a loading screen to travel, instead of experiencing the world you so preciously believe should be traversed on foot).

 

One last thing to note: Just because YOU walked doesn't mean all players should. The first few hours of the game are the MOST IMPORTANT for player retention. The game lost me in a few hours, and it was only through the charity of friends did I come back at all. And it was still difficult for me to stay, because I had no way of knowing inside the game what builds did what, what stats were optimal, why every weapon I wanted to use was terrible for PvE... I had to look up guides, and even then, my build is still trash because I'll die before I use an axe.

 

This game has very few ways of retaining new players, when new players are often stuck wondering how to do basic things you'd know within five hours. Quality of life changes like mounts would do wonders for opening the world up for newer players. The only saving grace and reason why players return is the fact that this game has no cost once you buy the expacs. It's yours forever. Servers are free to join.

You claim that mounts are a QoL necessity.  There are many who may believe that legendary gear is a QoL necessity.  So, legendary items should also be given to new players for free.

You also make a lot of assumptions when it comes to player retention.

[Rogue.8235]

4 hours ago, Bastrii.3047 said:

Traveling through Tyria isn't a fun experience. It's slow. It's boring. You're traveling at a snails pace. But if you buy PoF, you can do one mission - ruin the intro to the expac - and skip all the crucial leveling just to get a mount. OP has a serious point. Movement through the world isn't good. Not with the sheer cliffs and slopes often preventing most movement. I want you to go make a new character, and don't use any mounts. Walk. See how quickly the game starts to drag on when you can't cover any sort of ground besides teleporting (so you're just sitting through a loading screen to travel, instead of experiencing the world you so preciously believe should be traversed on foot).

 

A major part of the open-world gameplay is exploration.  If you dislike roaming the open-world this much and just want to rush rush rush to the next goal, you're missing out on more than half of the open-world's design.  There are many hidden areas, mini-dungeons, etc. to find while exploring.  You also miss out on the flow of dynamic events, which is foreshadowed by character dialogue.  

It seems that you're goal is to rush to the late-game without playing the bulk of GW2.  This will usually end in burn-out as the objective is grinding for stuff rather than simply playing the game. 

 

[Zebulous.2934]

I quite forgot, there is a free mount in the core game already. 
It has several gemstore skins as well. 
The speed is the slowest in the game and it only has ten health. 
It is the

Spoiler

chair!

  I am not sure why it is in the novelty section of the wardrobe though.  They need to move it to the mounts menu so that we can dye it.

[Brickeli.3568]

Perhaps another solution would be to include “mount experts” in each starter area explaining the process of how masteries are needed in order to obtain a mount with some sort of CTA to purchase the expansions. OR maybe once your account has the needed expansions, there could be an early mount obtained, this way folks are still encouraged to purchase the expansions but not necessarily play through the story to experience the full benefits of the mounts.

That being said; I think it’s great that the original / free game is experienced on foot as it gives an entirely different feel for how the game is played, especially as you progress through the game and learn to get accustomed to different play types. This also gives leaves the sort of “prestige” feeling you get when you do obtain the mounts you have earned as you complete the different stories.
 

Although, I will agree that getting around on foot does get a little tedious and doing events with folks that have the speed / height bonuses of their mounts can leave you a little behind, having some sort of speed boost boon or perk prove to be beneficial in the long run especially when you are in a party or squad that utilizes their mounts that you don’t have access to, creating a more balanced paced experience for newer players. Similar to the city speed boosts you can use - maybe a specific squad or party bonus?

[KittyKaboom.8760]

This is a really smart post. My boyfriend and I almost didn't choose to purchase and play Guild Wars 2 originally because when we tested it out f2p we were slower than a tortoise whilst all the other players were zooming past us. We had three friends we attempted to bring into the game who decided not to purchase it because they felt so slow when trying it out and felt the mounts were pay to win.

 

Even if it can't make large jumps over gaps like a raptor or scale to heights like a springer, at least a basic horse with added movement speed so new players can actually get around would be a huge improvement.

[kharmin.7683]

54 minutes ago, MakeItFit.7062 said:

This is a really smart post. My boyfriend and I almost didn't choose to purchase and play Guild Wars 2 originally because when we tested it out f2p we were slower than a tortoise whilst all the other players were zooming past us. We had three friends we attempted to bring into the game who decided not to purchase it because they felt so slow when trying it out and felt the mounts were pay to win.

 

Even if it can't make large jumps over gaps like a raptor or scale to heights like a springer, at least a basic horse with added movement speed so new players can actually get around would be a huge improvement.

F2P is supposed to have incentives for players to purchase the full version.  Free mounts would run counter to this concept and perhaps reduce Anet's income. 

[Zebulous.2934]

It is interesting. if it is slower than a raptor then you will still be late to map events.  I suppose it has to be faster than the superspeed buff while on foot. There aren't that many cravass in the game to jump over. A raptor that can't jump is just as useful as a regular raptor.

Faster than superspeed

Slower than a raptor

Still makes you later than paying players

I don't see a solution here.

[Gibson.4036]

 

 

4 hours ago, Zebulous.2934 said:

I quite forgot, there is a free mount in the core game already. 
It has several gemstore skins as well. 
The speed is the slowest in the game and it only has ten health. 
It is the

  Hide contents

chair!

  I am not sure why it is in the novelty section of the wardrobe though.  They need to move it to the mounts menu so that we can dye it.

Moving chairs to the mount section won't magically give them dye channels.

 

[Gibson.4036]

On 5/24/2022 at 12:43 PM, voltaicbore.8012 said:

 

That said, purely because I'm a bit sick of seeing these threads, I say ANet should implement a less flashy and extremely slow mount with minimal (if any) upgrade capacity. Something like a pack bull. It should be faster than running on foot, but still slower than base raptor. Basically something to take care of the "I'm getting totally left behind" issue without fully replicating a mount that people actually paid money to have unlimited access to.

 

 

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Rune_of_Speed + https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Spring_Roll + https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Sigil_of_Speed + profession dependent skills and traits?

GW2 has the least cumbersome restrictions on free trial accounts I've ever encountered in an MMO. Free accounts are only going to be doing content most people did without mounts in the first place, so it's not even that much of a restriction.

Other than when a particular zone has the event daily, when are f2p players going to be trying to keep up with paying players?

[KoSs.3027]

I don't understand why so much talk about f2p.

 

F2P is there so you can test out the game and if you like it you can buy it. If you have played as f2p for a long time and still didn't bought the game that means you don't really like it and maybe you should search for something else to play. If you can't afford to spend 50$ (or less when game is on sale) then maybe instead playing video games you should search for a job?

[Gibson.4036]

23 minutes ago, KoSs.3027 said:

I don't understand why so much talk about f2p.

 

F2P is there so you can test out the game and if you like it you can buy it. If you have played as f2p for a long time and still didn't bought the game that means you don't really like it and maybe you should search for something else to play. If you can't afford to spend 50$ (or less when game is on sale) then maybe instead playing video games you should search for a job?

If we're talking mounts, $29.99 for either PoF/HoT or EoD. And PoF/HoT has been going on sale for 50% off fairly regularly, so $15!

Edited May 25, 2022 by Gibson.4036

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Anyone that wants a code for a 50% discount for Path of Fire/Heart of Thorns can mail me in-game.

[MithranArkanere.8957]

They should also add Raptor Taxi through the Lion Road connecting cities and havens. The lion road only covers 9 maps, but it should be more than enough to give players a taste of raptors so they want to get their own. 

 

Even better if the taxi effects persist between maps, so players they remount the raptor after zoning, letting players select destinations in other maps, like one from Queensdale to Gendarran called  "Destination: Lion's Arch". 

[voltaicbore.8012]

31 minutes ago, MithranArkanere.8957 said:

They should also add Raptor Taxi through the Lion Road connecting cities and havens. The lion road only covers 9 maps, but it should be more than enough to give players a taste of raptors so they want to get their own. 

 

Even better if the taxi effects persist between maps, so players they remount the raptor after zoning, letting players select destinations in other maps, like one from Queensdale to Gendarran called  "Destination: Lion's Arch". 

While I really like the thematic sense that this would make, I still hesitate to endorse it.

Out of exasperation earlier in the thread I advocated offering all players a handicapped mount, but that still shares the same problem as your suggestion: ultimately if you can't appreciate the core world on foot, you're probably not going to be happy with GW2 over the long run.

Caving to demands for "raptors for all!" is likely catering to people who aren't going to be able to handle the fact that GW2 is something of a slow burn. We don't get the clockwork content patches like, say, FF14 famously does. Even if you find a system (like dungeons or raids) that you like, you'll soon find that ANet has abandoned them in favor of a shiny new system like Strikes. Every time you hear about various communities fizzling out, it's usually about the lack of new content (or much needed updates to existing content). I suspect the many, many non-elite players who quietly stop logging in quit for the exact same reasons.

For those of us who do stay, we love GW2 in spite of all the objective reasons to play something else. While I don't have any hard data to back this up, I strongly suspect that falling in love with the richness of the core map designs (and by extension, the spreading of that love to the Tyria setting in general) is what keeps a lot of us here. The somewhat overused "it's the journey, not the destination" matters here; if you are (1) more bothered by other people zooming by more than you are (2) having fun discovering the game world for yourself, I think the harsh truth is that you might not last too long in this game even if ANet gave you a mount from the get-go.

Edited May 25, 2022 by voltaicbore.8012

[Ashen.2907]

Envy because someone else has the benefit of something that they paid for and that you have not  is not a particularly good justification for getting it for free.

I saw someone walk buy with an outfit dyed in a color I want but dont have....so I will not buy the game or spend money in the gemstore.

I liked that outfit as well, but dont have it, gimme or I wont spend money on the game.

Legendaries? If I dont have them for free I wont spend money on the game because seeing others walking around with cool skins that I dont have makes me feel bad.

 

Lets be real, if you arent willing to spend the money to get what you want then you were never going to spend money anyway.  If your first reaction to someone else having bought something nice is the equivalent of, "if I dont get what he has without paying for it as he did I am going to bail," then that is going to be your attitude about everything you come across that has a price tag.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Ashen.2907

[kharmin.7683]

13 hours ago, MithranArkanere.8957 said:

They should also add Raptor Taxi through the Lion Road connecting cities and havens. The lion road only covers 9 maps, but it should be more than enough to give players a taste of raptors so they want to get their own. 

 

Even better if the taxi effects persist between maps, so players they remount the raptor after zoning, letting players select destinations in other maps, like one from Queensdale to Gendarran called  "Destination: Lion's Arch". 

That's what waypoints are for, plus waypoints are part of the gold-sink method that is used to keep the economy healthy.

[Zebulous.2934]

@Gibson.4036 "moving chairs to the mount section won't magically give them dye channels."

You can't burn a candle at the bottom of a lake either.  Moving the candle up to dry land won't cause that candle to burst into flame, that is true.  You will have to wait for the wick to dry and you will have to set it alight.  However, at least it is possible to burn the candle on dry land, and never possible to burn a candle  at the bottom of a lake.  I don't think chairs can be given dye channels as novelties, but I know mounts can be given dye channels.  So I want to move chairs to a more suitable location ( a more suitable classification) to prepare them.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Zebulous.2934
forgot to add the quote

[kharmin.7683]

Let's not derail this thread by talking about chair dyes when a thread already exists for that:

 

[Brickeli.3568]

What about adding in more mount rental areas / improving on the current mount rentals by adding a timed skill available for however long the rental period lasts for that can fill the mount skill slot (X), allowing them to reuse their rented mount again without having to return to the NPC they originally rented from. Could also add variety of different rentable mount options (I think right now you can only rent a roller beetle?) at variable different price ranges.

[SuavePuppy.2809]

22 hours ago, MakeItFit.7062 said:

This is a really smart post. My boyfriend and I almost didn't choose to purchase and play Guild Wars 2 originally because when we tested it out f2p we were slower than a tortoise whilst all the other players were zooming past us. We had three friends we attempted to bring into the game who decided not to purchase it because they felt so slow when trying it out and felt the mounts were pay to win.

 

Even if it can't make large jumps over gaps like a raptor or scale to heights like a springer, at least a basic horse with added movement speed so new players can actually get around would be a huge improvement.

 

I'm unsure of how this makes sense. You felt slow, which would incentivise you to buy the expac by giving you access to mounts, but you didn't buy the expansion. 

 

But somehow having a F2P mount, thus bypassing that slow movement would encourage you to buy the expac? This gives you one less reason to buy the content and one more reason to stay F2P, which is not what the company wants.

[squeegee.4320]

I would,. rather, go so far as to say lock out mounts for core and HoT until after completing the respective stories once per account.

HoT doesn't feel the same i fyou fly past everything and ignore the mushrooms entirely.

[Gibson.4036]

22 minutes ago, narwhalsbend.7059 said:

I would,. rather, go so far as to say lock out mounts for core and HoT until after completing the respective stories once per account.

HoT doesn't feel the same i fyou fly past everything and ignore the mushrooms entirely.

Ugh.

Im so glad I got my raptor and springer before doing HoT. Anyone who wants to do “vanilla” HoT is free to set a no mount limit on themselves. There’s no need to force it on every new player.

[Sinmir.6504]

Would a basic F2P mount really be that helpful to have anyway? One that is slow and does nothing special. Like if without HoT I could have a glider, only trouble is I go straight down when falling and it doesn't get rid of fall damage... So what does it do?