The world of Guild Wars 2

[Zeusx.2906]

Hey,

 

I was watching a stream yesterday and the topic of mmorpg worlds and immersion came up.

This has always been one of my issues with Guild Wars 2 i just never really put it into words. See i think that Guild Wars 2 is honestly focused too much on action, there is always something happening! Which you might think should be a good thing but in my opinion (and the people in the stream) its not. 

In World of Warcraft for example you can enter some little village somewhere and just chill, chill for as long as you want, walk around see what the npcs have to say, walk around in the forest, organise your inventory etc etc its just a laid back moment where you decide when you want to head out and actually do something.

In Guild Wars 2 however the game often times decides for you, you are chilling in a nice little area and perhaps even role playing a bit. Well... an EVENT! Save the people! Put out the fire! CHAOS! Action action action! No chill time for you! 

Everything in Guild Wars 2 is tied to something, there is always something going on. Applenook Hamlet in Gendarran Fields is a chill immersive looking little village and those very few times when you do actually stop and look around in Guild Wars 2 and manage to get immersed its ruined by something happening. In Applenook Hamlet its those thieves that constantly try to destroy the farm. And while this is happening the villagers are just standing literally a couple feet away like nothing is happening. Its like okay chill Guild Wars 2, sometimes its okay to just chill. 

 

On top of that there are way too few places like Applenook Hamlet. Because everything is built with a specific purpose, beautiful places are very rare.

 

Another point is npc. There is very little variation in npcs. I'll give you an example, at the Gates of Arah there are two karma merchants within a couple of feet of each other who sell the exact same items. Warmaster Benson and Crusader Benson. They even have the same name!

Armor and weapon merchants scale with map levels but if you got one weapon merchant in one end of the map and another at the other end, they sell the same things. I think it would give the game so much more character if npcs were more distinct and you had a reason to seek out specific npcs. Yes this happens but its also very rare. 

 

I dont know, just something i have been thinking about. There is just something about existing in that fictional world and feeling like an adventurer and in Guild Wars 2 it gets completely overwhelmed by all of the mayhem going on around you pretty much all of the time.

 

I would even go as far as to say that Guild Wars 2 is perhaps the only mmorpg that could do with actually being more generic.

 

Relax Guild Wars 2.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Zeusx.2906

[kharmin.7683]

Thinking that you really don't explore enough of the world.  A lot of this goes on.  Sure, there are areas where events spawn or are close to events, but there is far more NPC interaction than I think you give credit to the devs.  Sometimes you have to be patient.

[costepj.5120]

When you complete a heart, make sure you go and talk to the related NPC. Many of these sell unique items.

Edited May 9, 2022 by costepj.5120

[Zeusx.2906]

16 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Thinking that you really don't explore enough of the world.  A lot of this goes on.  Sure, there are areas where events spawn or are close to events, but there is far more NPC interaction than I think you give credit to the devs.  Sometimes you have to be patient.

I have four level 80 characters, i have come to this opinion through experience. Now if you are telling me that i just haven't been to the places you are referring then fair enough. I will definitely consider that as a possibility. 

[Zeusx.2906]

10 minutes ago, costepj.5120 said:

When you complete a heart, make sure you go and talk to the related NPC. Many of these sell unique items.

I always do that for immersion and closure to that area. They often sell one or two things and they are never worth it. I'm not saying that as in its not worth the money, I'm more so saying that its not worth taking the time to purchase these items as they do next to nothing.

[kharmin.7683]

3 minutes ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

I have four level 80 characters, i have come to this opinion through experience. Now if you are telling me that i just haven't been to the places you are referring then fair enough. I will definitely consider that as a possibility. 

Do you play with a headset or headphones?  I tend to hear a lot more NPC chatter that is not necessarily close by. 

[Zeusx.2906]

5 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Do you play with a headset or headphones?  I tend to hear a lot more NPC chatter that is not necessarily close by. 

I use a headset yes.

Actually could you recommend me a place or places i could go perhaps? The main cities dont count, i'm looking for random places out in the wilderness that are chill in the way places are chill in World of Warcraft. 

[Zeusx.2906]

Just to add to my original post. Here's another example of npcs just being very bland and honestly even bordering confusing. In Shaemoor, Queensdale right infront of the pub you got Baker Claudette. Now one might think that she is perhaps selling some baking related items and materials. Nope, she actually sells one LEATHER BAG!

Then right next to her we got Fishmonger Scipio who has some nice looking fish on display right in front of him. What does he sell maybe some fishing stuff? No he also sells a leather bag. Oh wait i stand corrected, he actually sells TWO leather bags.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Zeusx.2906

[Shuzuru.3651]

12 minutes ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

I always do that for immersion and closure to that area. They often sell one or two things and they are never worth it. I'm not saying that as in its not worth the money, I'm more so saying that its not worth taking the time to purchase these items as they do next to nothing.

What do you mean by worth it? They are leveling item, so they are there to sell specific leveling equipment of better rarity than the basic one you see in town (the one you complained about), that's exactly what you asked on your initial post.

Also, for the basic one, it's like the generic merchant, it's basic wares, it's not meant to be specific, contrary to the heart merchants and event merchants who are the specifics one. There is even some of them who sell specific consumables that are still useful at lvl80

[Gibson.4036]

2 hours ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

I use a headset yes.

Actually could you recommend me a place or places i could go perhaps? The main cities dont count, i'm looking for random places out in the wilderness that are chill in the way places are chill in World of Warcraft. 

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dolyak's_Rest

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Peach_Tree

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pearl_Islet

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pricklepatch_Hollow - As long as you find the choya music and dancing "chill". I do.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Desert_Highlands_Insight:_Above_the_Flats - I can't remember if there are hostile npcs here or not. It stands out in my head as being a lovely place, especially at night.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Gibson.4036

[Freya.9075]

Gw2 got lots of that. You’re just not paying attention

 

[Tsakhi.8124]

*Continues to hum marching tune* 

Another funny conversation is in Kessex Hill, near the mine. This guy tells his wife (jokingly) to get him a drink. And she was like: "Get it yourself, you toad." and then he laughed (somewhat nervously) and said that he loved her. I don't know why, but that got a giggle out of me. I think it's because it sounds like a conversation my husband and I would have. XD I think one of my favorites was between Snargle and Bonnie, mainly the "You don't have a process." said with so much venom and it just...doesn't go over his head, but it's akin to if Hide the Pain Harold was given a voice. 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Tsakhi.8124
It was Kessex, not Gendarran. Tsakhi's brain goes brrrr

[kharmin.7683]

The norn inside the house near the Krennak's Waypoint in Wayfarer who tries to get his kid to pull his finger, much to the dismay of his spouse.

[Randulf.7614]

I disagree, it just does it differently (well it used to, not so much in IBS/EoD era). Often the npcs start chatting without interaction or it does it via events. It’s a more dynamic method, but no less immersive. One of my favourite examples is Amnoon. When it released, I spent weeks just hanging around absorbing the atmosphere, the chatter, doing various events round the city, soaking up the map storytelling. Vabbi is another strong map for it.

The fact that events happen in the middle of an outpost is what makes it more alive and one of the things that make it a “living world” and in my opinion, more immersive. 

[azorean.1850]

10 hours ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

Hey,

 

I was watching a stream yesterday and the topic of mmorpg worlds and immersion came up.

This has always been one of my issues with Guild Wars 2 i just never really put it into words. See i think that Guild Wars 2 is honestly focused too much on action, there is always something happening! Which you might think should be a good thing but in my opinion (and the people in the stream) its not. 

In World of Warcraft for example you can enter some little village somewhere and just chill, chill for as long as you want, walk around see what the npcs have to say, walk around in the forest, organise your inventory etc etc its just a laid back moment where you decide when you want to head out and actually do something.

In Guild Wars 2 however the game often times decides for you, you are chilling in a nice little area and perhaps even role playing a bit. Well... an EVENT! Save the people! Put out the fire! CHAOS! Action action action! No chill time for you! 

Everything in Guild Wars 2 is tied to something, there is always something going on. Applenook Hamlet in Gendarran Fields is a chill immersive looking little village and those very few times when you do actually stop and look around in Guild Wars 2 and manage to get immersed its ruined by something happening. In Applenook Hamlet its those thieves that constantly try to destroy the farm. And while this is happening the villagers are just standing literally a couple feet away like nothing is happening. Its like okay chill Guild Wars 2, sometimes its okay to just chill. 

 

On top of that there are way too few places like Applenook Hamlet. Because everything is built with a specific purpose, beautiful places are very rare.

 

Another point is npc. There is very little variation in npcs. I'll give you an example, at the Gates of Arah there are two karma merchants within a couple of feet of each other who sell the exact same items. Warmaster Benson and Crusader Benson. They even have the same name!

Armor and weapon merchants scale with map levels but if you got one weapon merchant in one end of the map and another at the other end, they sell the same things. I think it would give the game so much more character if npcs were more distinct and you had a reason to seek out specific npcs. Yes this happens but its also very rare. 

 

I dont know, just something i have been thinking about. There is just something about existing in that fictional world and feeling like an adventurer and in Guild Wars 2 it gets completely overwhelmed by all of the mayhem going on around you pretty much all of the time.

 

I would even go as far as to say that Guild Wars 2 is perhaps the only mmorpg that could do with actually being more generic.

 

Relax Guild Wars 2.

If i wanna relax or chill il watch tv or go for a walk or sleep, thats relaxing.

[DeanBB.4268]

10 hours ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

On top of that there are way too few places like Applenook Hamlet. Because everything is built with a specific purpose,

beautiful places are very rare.

...

Relax Guild Wars 2.

It's those "purposes" ie, a "living world" that make GW2 unique. If you don't wish to participate in the living world, then chill in the spaces provided: cities, lounges, lobbies, guild halls, wherever. Don't be annoyed by the game doing what it was designed to do.

[Cronospere.8143]

Thats why i think grothmar valley is a great map. There is also, just a lot of fun things to do. It makes the map unique. 

[Vayne.8563]

If you want immersion, where exactly can you go in the real world where you're completely safe, and nothing can happen? I'm curious. Safe spots don't exist in life. Having safe spots in a medieval world, besides something like walled cities doesn't really make much sense. What's to stop bandits from going into a small community?  This post makes no sense to me. 

This isn't about immersion it's about preference.

[mindcircus.1506]

13 hours ago, Zeusx.2906 said:

Hey,

 

I was watching a stream yesterday and the topic of mmorpg worlds and immersion came up.

This has always been one of my issues with Guild Wars 2 i just never really put it into words. See i think that Guild Wars 2 is honestly focused too much on action, there is always something happening! Which you might think should be a good thing but in my opinion (and the people in the stream) its not. 

In World of Warcraft for example you can enter some little village somewhere and just chill, chill for as long as you want, walk around see what the npcs have to say, walk around in the forest, organise your inventory etc etc its just a laid back moment where you decide when you want to head out and actually do something.

In Guild Wars 2 however the game often times decides for you, you are chilling in a nice little area and perhaps even role playing a bit. Well... an EVENT! Save the people! Put out the fire! CHAOS! Action action action! No chill time for you! 

Everything in Guild Wars 2 is tied to something, there is always something going on. Applenook Hamlet in Gendarran Fields is a chill immersive looking little village and those very few times when you do actually stop and look around in Guild Wars 2 and manage to get immersed its ruined by something happening. In Applenook Hamlet its those thieves that constantly try to destroy the farm. And while this is happening the villagers are just standing literally a couple feet away like nothing is happening. Its like okay chill Guild Wars 2, sometimes its okay to just chill. 

 

On top of that there are way too few places like Applenook Hamlet. Because everything is built with a specific purpose, beautiful places are very rare.

 

Another point is npc. There is very little variation in npcs. I'll give you an example, at the Gates of Arah there are two karma merchants within a couple of feet of each other who sell the exact same items. Warmaster Benson and Crusader Benson. They even have the same name!

Armor and weapon merchants scale with map levels but if you got one weapon merchant in one end of the map and another at the other end, they sell the same things. I think it would give the game so much more character if npcs were more distinct and you had a reason to seek out specific npcs. Yes this happens but its also very rare. 

 

I dont know, just something i have been thinking about. There is just something about existing in that fictional world and feeling like an adventurer and in Guild Wars 2 it gets completely overwhelmed by all of the mayhem going on around you pretty much all of the time.

 

I would even go as far as to say that Guild Wars 2 is perhaps the only mmorpg that could do with actually being more generic.

 

Relax Guild Wars 2.

TLDR:Less content pls

[Ashen.2907]

1 hour ago, Vayne.8563 said:

If you want immersion, where exactly can you go in the real world where you're completely safe, and nothing can happen? I'm curious. Safe spots don't exist in life. Having safe spots in a medieval world, besides something like walled cities doesn't really make much sense. What's to stop bandits from going into a small community?  This post makes no sense to me. 

This isn't about immersion it's about preference.

How frequently does someone come under lethal physical attack at your local mall? We, at least in the western world, are EXTREMELY safe in our towns and cities.

During the medieval period death by violence among the civilian population was exceedingly rare as well. Dont let fantasy novels, games, and movies color your perceptions.

Of course safety would be boring in an RPG. We want those bandits to attack so that we can save the day. I think that if the OP were to do some more exploring he would find plenty of examples of settlements that are safe....and are generally ignored by players because after a few minutes of just hanging around there just isnt anything to do there. I can sit around and do nothing without logging into the game. I can participate in much more immersive RP circumstances in a pen and paper RPG with a GM who RPs the NPCs than any online game can provide. Increasing the percentage of the game that involves nothing to do would be a disservice to the game.

[Vayne.8563]

2 hours ago, Ashen.2907 said:

How frequently does someone come under lethal physical attack at your local mall? We, at least in the western world, are EXTREMELY safe in our towns and cities.

During the medieval period death by violence among the civilian population was exceedingly rare as well. Dont let fantasy novels, games, and movies color your perceptions.

Of course safety would be boring in an RPG. We want those bandits to attack so that we can save the day. I think that if the OP were to do some more exploring he would find plenty of examples of settlements that are safe....and are generally ignored by players because after a few minutes of just hanging around there just isnt anything to do there. I can sit around and do nothing without logging into the game. I can participate in much more immersive RP circumstances in a pen and paper RPG with a GM who RPs the NPCs than any online game can provide. Increasing the percentage of the game that involves nothing to do would be a disservice to the game.

You don't live in Brooklyn apparently. The truth is violence happens everywhere. It's not always reported. People are attacked in their houses. In backyards. And yes, in their cities. Assaults happen in schools.  I don't know where you live where you think the world is safe, but I can tell you, people have been killed over road rage. They've been killed over nothing at all. They've been killed by drunk drivers. They've been killed by all sorts of stuff.  Nowhere is really safe. 

Sure you don't have events every two seconds, but then, this is also not medival times, in a world filled with magic and monsters.  When you look at Queensdale, you've got a bandit problem and a centaur problem.  What's to stop a small town from suffering those issues. It's like when a motorcycle gang goes into a rural pub.  There's nothing really to stop them from doing that.

[Tsakhi.8124]

2 hours ago, Ashen.2907 said:

How frequently does someone come under lethal physical attack at your local mall? We, at least in the western world, are EXTREMELY safe in our towns and cities.

During the medieval period death by violence among the civilian population was exceedingly rare as well. Dont let fantasy novels, games, and movies color your perceptions.

Of course safety would be boring in an RPG. We want those bandits to attack so that we can save the day. I think that if the OP were to do some more exploring he would find plenty of examples of settlements that are safe....and are generally ignored by players because after a few minutes of just hanging around there just isnt anything to do there. I can sit around and do nothing without logging into the game. I can participate in much more immersive RP circumstances in a pen and paper RPG with a GM who RPs the NPCs than any online game can provide. Increasing the percentage of the game that involves nothing to do would be a disservice to the game.

Here in Texas? Often. Especially in and near military bases.

[Rivindor.7258]

Tyria is a dangerous world. If you want safety and calm, stick to the main cities.

[Zeusx.2906]

19 hours ago, Shuzuru.3651 said:

What do you mean by worth it? They are leveling item, so they are there to sell specific leveling equipment of better rarity than the basic one you see in town (the one you complained about), that's exactly what you asked on your initial post.

Also, for the basic one, it's like the generic merchant, it's basic wares, it's not meant to be specific, contrary to the heart merchants and event merchants who are the specifics one. There is even some of them who sell specific consumables that are still useful at lvl80

I mean fair enough its leveling items thats fine, definitely not needed to ever buy from heart npcs but its fine. If this was a big issue for me i would have included it in the original post. I was just touching on it as someone mentioned it after.

[Zeusx.2906]

17 hours ago, Gibson.4036 said:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dolyak's_Rest

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Peach_Tree

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pearl_Islet

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pricklepatch_Hollow - As long as you find the choya music and dancing "chill". I do.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Desert_Highlands_Insight:_Above_the_Flats - I can't remember if there are hostile npcs here or not. It stands out in my head as being a lovely place, especially at night.

Thank you i will check those places out. I believe i have been to two or three of the already but i will go back and see if its what im looking for.