Returning player; absolutely HATE the beta

[Zohar.4576]

Greetings.

 

   I started playing GW2 again after a ten year hiatus. I've been LOVING the game, like I never did. I couldn't get into GW2 ten years ago, but now it's clicked for me like it's never before. I've already sunk a stupid amount of gems into the game because I fell in love and wanted to get some QoL stuff to make my experience better. Everything has been going so well, then I tried WvW for the first time last week and OMG it was amazing. I play on Darkhaven (maybe that means something bad), we lost last week but I didn't care. So many fights, so much action, I got my warclaw so quickly I loved it. Then I read about the beta, and I was pumped. It sounded like they were going to take this to a new level with amazing matchmaking, it was going to take this constant battling and occasional queues I was experiencing and jack it to a level that would blow me away...

 

...but the only thing blowing me away is the literal winds of boredom making me exit the WvW. I feel saddened, was my initial losing week with constant action an anomaly, or is that normal? My  realm is winning now apparently, but I've never been so bored. I've logged in AM, mid day, and PM, and literally nothing is going on. I find a commander sometimes and the other team obliterates us because we have like 9 people vs. their 900. Again, I LOST the previous week, but it was constant action. We were taking stuff left and right, it was great, it felt like fighting against a tsunami. We knew we were going to lose, but who cares. We took keeps, camps, towers, whatever. Sure, we couldn't hold ground but it was a darn fight and it was fun. If THIS is what WvW will become, it SUCKS, as a casual player. Like SUCKS real bad. Sorry, that's just my opinion. I don't care about winning, I just want action. I don't know how the heck our team is winning when literally nothing goes on from 8AM - 8PM that I can see. I guess it's great that "Reaper's Corridor" is winning, but it couldn't feel more hollow. Please fix this, and don't ever go live with this again.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by Zohar.4576
I can't spell / format

[TheGrimm.5624]

Welcome back! Your mileage will vary from beta to beta. Will have to see if they provide any feedback from the tests. They are doing these live since they released if the don't they won't see the full impacts. Downside is they dropped this out there with Bonus XP and a Holiday event. That makes for crazy population numbers and there are a lot of PvX players so who was pulled in with the extra XP versus who was pulled out because it was a beta and holiday. Hopefully you will have a better week once reset lands here in a few hours. Good hunting to you!

[Zohar.4576]

Thanks, I am hopeful but wanted to give my feedback that my first "beta" event was horrid. I hope that it is useful for the team. I love the game, it's been amazing, but my second week in WvW has been...horrid. Thanks for the reply, I'm actually pretty optimistic I just wanted to leave some feedback from my perspective in hopes that my negative experience will help them steer the ship in the right direction (or maybe it's in the right direction and I'm wrong, that's cool too but it would probably push me from WvW if it keeps going in this direction)

[subversiontwo.7501]

Here's a friendly personalised pointer for you too (since you didn't read the other thread made today saying the exactly same thing as you do): The matchmaking algorithm isn't included in this beta. Not only is it a beta, but on a progression ladder, for all we know, this beta is still on step 1 out of 10. Barely just a beta at all.

If there is any question to raise towards the developer it is why they have not come further over another year of development, over a handful of beta passes with no apparent difference between them or why they are not talking to us in earnest about the progression made (in context to their own and our expectations). That is fair and valid criticism and questions. Hopping blindly into a beta after a 10 year hiatus and questioning why it isn't as polished as the live product, well, that says more about you than them tbh. It's a beta, not live, so they didn't go live with it. Though, again, I think it is perfectly fair to question what we even are testing at this point, because no one seems to know (or care!).

I did not have a good beta myself (though my current matchup is not any more entertaining), nore am I trying to defend the developer (I actually want you to question why they don't communicate, again, or make apparent progress, ever on WvW) but just shouting in the dark or questioning things that have been answered doesn't really help you or anyone else.

The more people make these threads, the less they make threads questioning the real things that they should question (the abyssmal communication, the lack of visible progression and the lack of transparency or overall just no commitment).

Edited October 21, 2022 by subversiontwo.7501

[kamikharzeeh.8016]

tbh rather keep the rage low. these beta testings are rather a mere alpha and have _NOTHING_ in common with how the alliance system should finally look. u are not supposed to rate matchmaking in it, as its plainly random. there's no matchmaking. it's like the 2-monthly relinks, there also is no matchmaking.

it is some random algorithm tht probs not even the anet devs understand fully (as it made by ppl who left the company or at least the project of gw2 years ago)

Wvw is a great gamemode of sure. but it has been starved out of new things basically since i started playing, which was roughly 4 years ago by now.

[Xenesis.6389]

Well.. you missed ten years of drama over population stacking, times zone stacking, time zone domination, matchup manipulation, glicko ratings, artificial glicko boosting, glicko walls, rankings, tier reduction, links, 1u1d, free transfers, transfer exploit, multiple bandwagons, tournaments, certain server domination in tournaments, tournament burnouts, forced skirmish mode.. but sure, come in for a beta week and let us know how horrid world restructuring will be with no understanding of how we even got to this point, and everything should just stay the same... yup.

P.S let us know how it goes against Mag this week.

😐

Edited October 22, 2022 by Xenesis.6389

[TheGrimm.5624]

5 hours ago, Xenesis.6389 said:

Well.. you missed ten years of drama over population stacking, times zone stacking, time zone domination, matchup manipulation, glicko ratings, artificial glicko boosting, glicko walls, rankings, tier reduction, links, 1u1d, free transfers, transfer exploit, multiple bandwagons, tournaments, certain server domination in tournaments, tournament burnouts, forced skirmish mode.. but sure, come in for a beta week and let us know how horrid world restructuring will be with no understanding of how we even got to this point, and everything should just stay the same... yup.\

 

OP, Xen's point are fair. Will pre-emptive send you a /wave as SBI is with DH right now. So again welcome back lol.

Xen, yeah the post beta what tier are you in doesn't seem to have worked. Welcome fighting Mag this week but we also were knocked out of the tier they are entering pre-beta week so that still seems to be a bug. But at least I get Mag for the week so all good.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by TheGrimm.5624
double space issue

[Zohar.4576]

8 hours ago, subversiontwo.7501 said:

Here's a friendly personalised pointer for you too (since you didn't read the other thread made today saying the exactly same thing as you do): The matchmaking algorithm isn't included in this beta. Not only is it a beta, but on a progression ladder, for all we know, this beta is still on step 1 out of 10. Barely just a beta at all.

If there is any question to raise towards the developer it is why they have not come further over another year of development, over a handful of beta passes with no apparent difference between them or why they are not talking to us in earnest about the progression made (in context to their own and our expectations). That is fair and valid criticism and questions. Hopping blindly into a beta after a 10 year hiatus and questioning why it isn't as polished as the live product, well, that says more about you than them tbh. It's a beta, not live, so they didn't go live with it. Though, again, I think it is perfectly fair to question what we even are testing at this point, because no one seems to know (or care!).

I did not have a good beta myself (though my current matchup is not any more entertaining), nore am I trying to defend the developer (I actually want you to question why they don't communicate, again, or make apparent progress, ever on WvW) but just shouting in the dark or questioning things that have been answered doesn't really help you or anyone else.

The more people make these threads, the less they make threads questioning the real things that they should question (the abyssmal communication, the lack of visible progression and the lack of transparency or overall just no commitment).

 

So the only reason I joined the beta was because after getting back into WvW after my long hiatus was due to joining a guild during that fun week. The guild, a WvW guild, encouraged all members to join the beta including me. So I got swept up into it. I did some reading about it prior, and from what I read at the time it sounded like the intention behind it was pretty neat...it didnt turn out that way sadly. That's why I joined though, hope that clarified why I blindly jumped jumped in. For my PvE guild, they haven't steered me wrong. Figured same here with this WvW guild but I was wrong lol. I don't appreciate the assumptions you made about me though, but your points on communication are valid. I know what betas are, was having a blast with literally everything else, if you read ANet's marketing posts it appears through reading that this product is fairly far along...it obviously is not and it takes "education* from your post to clarify this issue. 

Edit: Not trying to insult anyone playing for 10 years either. I'm basically a new player and I'm not the only one getting sucked into this beta like this. I talked to another player in game I came across in WvW about this too, we were in the same boat so at least two people were dragged in.  

Edited October 22, 2022 by Zohar.4576
Don't want to to be a kitten to other posters, thanks for responding

[Luthan.5236]

Yeah. Everyone has a different opinion. And why the people that like it ... claim alliances will save the game (WvW) ... others that dislike them do so for a different reason. I think I have mentioned this in another (or more than one) thread: Personally I enjoy as a casual without guild to play on my server. And I even prefer if we are weaker. Enemies coming to us - when we can defend ... more fun = less walking to find an enemy.

The "server identity" though is the most important thing. The alliances system (where the beta is aiming for - for now alliances are not there yet ... but only the matchmaking is tested and "restructuring") is mainly targeted at veteran players. Making the game more interesting for them - for the small hardcore fans of WvW. The casuals will be better of with playing less WvW - unless they want to join big guilds and play regularly. Always different players - if you get matched with random others. (If you are not in a WvW guild.) = less motivation.

As for the action/fights described in the main post - that is a different problem. It can exist with the old syste mas well. And we actually had this pretty often. At least in EU tier 5 I think ... I remember that there were times when the two weakest ... were soooo weak that the best one always switched from T5 to T4 and back to T4 ... being somewhat balanced (lil bit weaker than two others) in T4 ... but roflstomping the others in T5. Somehow players seem to l ike this? And I do not know why. They queue like crazy when the own server is pwning though you have to walk like forever to get a kill and keep your participatoin up.

If there is a bit fighting back ... less people queue. And if you are losing ... no one is there anymore. (When then it should exactly be the opposite! no wonder that you are losing big if everyone leaves and then the enemy can win even easier.)

But the mentality of the player can't be changed by any system I guess. Will always be the same. Most juts prefer to be strong enough to spawn camp - hoping to get lucky to get a kill every 10 minutes while having to walk like forever ot the enemy spawn should they accidentally die. 😄 (Vs. the more convenient: Enemy coming to you = free loot bags + no walking.)

Edit: It could happen like this: (but we do not know yet how the future system will calculate the active players - it might just count everyone that selected a guild/alliance ... not taking into account how mcuh they played):

100 vs. 80 v. 80. From the 80 only 20 playing cause they feel that the team with the 100 is too strong. 😄 Then the system calculates with strenght 20 ... matching them against weaker ones. Then it is 20 vs. 20 (where actually 80 are) vs. 20. And then the 80 will show up pwning the 20 ... until the team with 20 ... everyone there will have left. 😄 Somethign to create a "fight back mentality" instead of "only showing up when it is an easy win" ... I wish there was something like that. But impossible ... I guess.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Luthan.5236

[enkidu.5937]

19 hours ago, Zohar.4576 said:

I don't know how the heck our team is winning when literally nothing goes on from 8AM - 8PM that I can see.

green alliance stacked 500 off-time PPTlers

red alliance stacked 500 prime time PPKlers

blue alliance switched to their second account alliance cause of reasons

all had private squad, private voice chat, invisible tag, "private" map with queue

-> balanced match, social experience, alliances working as intended 😏

[Custodio.6134]

11 minutes ago, enkidu.5937 said:

green alliance stacked 500 off-time PPTlers

red alliance stacked 500 prime time PPKlers

blue alliance switched to their second account alliance cause of reasons

all had private squad, private voice chat, invisible tag, "private" map with queue

-> balanced match, social experience, alliances working as intended 😏

that is not fault of the system tho...

This is an issue, that is entirely the fault of the players, and happens all the time, regardless of it being a WR-beta or a normal matchup... It can literally happen anytime and anywhere

[enkidu.5937]

27 minutes ago, Custodio.6134 said:

that is not fault of the system tho...

This is an issue, that is entirely the fault of the players, and happens all the time, regardless of it being a WR-beta or a normal matchup... It can literally happen anytime and anywhere

The new system will practically force people to stack time zone, PPTlers, PPKlers etc.