I've Become more Unga Bunga with Age

[Alaeacus.9635]

Hi Folks.  Recently returned to the game after a several years hiatus.  I have several characters on my account at various progression, but decided to research a bit on just starting another character over from scratch.  I'm coming to a weird realization that the older I get, I think that I'm becoming much more Unga Bunga Caveman.  

 

I have fond early-GW2 2012 memories of playing high-intensity Mesmer build for WvW maximizing APM, being a sweaty nail-biter.  The last few days I'm reviewing builds of different classes seeing an insane amount of rotations, and all I can think of is how much of a chore it would be.  Like a choreographed dance you repeat over and over for thousands of hours.  The more and more I research, the more I just want to start a Warrior or Revenant class and just whack things like a caveman.  I turned 40 late last year and wonder if it is a product of my age, or if I just care a lot less about being "optimal".  

 

Anyone else feel the same way?  

[crazycookie.3247]

You should look at LI (low intensity) builds for your favored class. Such builds perform well and don't rely on complex rotations

Edited March 13, 2023 by crazycookie.3247

[Doctor Hide.6345]

     It is more you started caring less about being optimal to that extreme, and you started enjoying the game more outside looking at numbers. But I also think it is an age as well since you may have realized that you don't need to show off to anyone because no one cares that you are a sweaty nail-biter. Pride and all that have no real value in an online game at the end of the day.

     There are LI builds though which are easy to do and not that complex which still do decent numbers though if you want to cavemen your way through content without dragging the team down.

[Randulf.7614]

Randulf… SMASH!

[Khisanth.2948]

That is just the brainwashing wearing off. If you hang out with the same sorts of people again it will probably return on its own. 😁

[Cuks.8241]

I'm closing on 40 and it definitely shows. I've tried Starcraft 2 after a long time a few weeks a go and felt like throwing my keyboard through the window. When you know what you need to do but just can't because the fingers can't keep up.

I would be probably competing for high ranks in spvp 10 years a go but now I'm just happy when I float around gold, mostly just playing builds I find fun and staying away from high intensity ones. 

Need to install a good competitive fps one day. I found out that I'm still quite good at those probably because I was playing Quake and UT religiously for like 15 years. The only problem I have is that every fps I see nowadays is bloated with useless crap; live services, progression systems, classes, skins... 

[Doggie.3184]

Some classes/builds are higher payoff in a multitude of ways with less effort. Like what Engi gets along-side tons of QoL and better reactive gameplay over spamming all the things in specific orders. It's more rational to mindless bonk or shoot things after doing the opposite for so long on Thief~ so I just use Engi now for Fractals/Strikes/Raids cuz it just makes more sense. Like; what a mess the top Deadeye DPS rotations are, no one wants to touch that and barely anyone does.

I've always been Unga Bunga though just never got the clothing for it till the recent loincloth stuff. I still enjoy bonking things with my Staff the most, the PoF and EoD elite specs for Thief continue to fail to pull me away even if it falls behind in DPS now.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Doggie.3184

[Farohna.6247]

Oh yes!  Once upon a time I enjoyed the finesse of perfect rotations and those exact moments of precision.  Now it's definitely unga bunga Renegade.  Thoroughly enjoy it, no shame!  

[idpersona.3810]

1 hour ago, McFly.2134 said:

Hi Folks.  Recently returned to the game after a several years hiatus.  I have several characters on my account at various progression, but decided to research a bit on just starting another character over from scratch.  I'm coming to a weird realization that the older I get, I think that I'm becoming much more Unga Bunga Caveman.  

 

I have fond early-GW2 2012 memories of playing high-intensity Mesmer build for WvW maximizing APM, being a sweaty nail-biter.  The last few days I'm reviewing builds of different classes seeing an insane amount of rotations, and all I can think of is how much of a chore it would be.  Like a choreographed dance you repeat over and over for thousands of hours.  The more and more I research, the more I just want to start a Warrior or Revenant class and just whack things like a caveman.  I turned 40 late last year and wonder if it is a product of my age, or if I just care a lot less about being "optimal".  

 

Anyone else feel the same way?  

I hadn't thought about it exactly that way, but having turned 40 last year I agree 100% with this perspective. I used to enjoy high end raids in MMOs and now I think it would just be an unfun slog of a time.

[Gladiotor.7561]

Im only 30 and i feel this way. Ive done the number thing to be top dps. I play more relaxed now, and try to find lower intensity builds. 

[Crimszon.7896]

1 hour ago, McFly.2134 said:

Hi Folks.  Recently returned to the game after a several years hiatus.  I have several characters on my account at various progression, but decided to research a bit on just starting another character over from scratch.  I'm coming to a weird realization that the older I get, I think that I'm becoming much more Unga Bunga Caveman.  

 

I have fond early-GW2 2012 memories of playing high-intensity Mesmer build for WvW maximizing APM, being a sweaty nail-biter.  The last few days I'm reviewing builds of different classes seeing an insane amount of rotations, and all I can think of is how much of a chore it would be.  Like a choreographed dance you repeat over and over for thousands of hours.  The more and more I research, the more I just want to start a Warrior or Revenant class and just whack things like a caveman.  I turned 40 late last year and wonder if it is a product of my age, or if I just care a lot less about being "optimal".  

 

Anyone else feel the same way?  

 

I'd say it's more about your priorities changing as an older gamer. I'm 33 and feel this way as well. While gaming is still important to me and a big part of what makes me who I am, I no longer care about being a super sweaty and topping any leaderboards. I'm just trying to enjoy my time with the game and unwind after a long day of adulting. I also no longer have any friends that play MMOs because they have families of their own now and they just don't have the time, so I don't even have anyone to really compete with anymore. 

[Gibson.4036]

I'm about to turn 50, and going the other way a bit. I've been playing pretty relaxed, selfish builds most of the time. Lately I've been adapting characters toward builds where I can add in support to my dps. I've been playing some of these characters so long, feels like I want a few more buttons to push.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Gibson.4036

[Randulf.7614]

19 minutes ago, Crimszon.7896 said:

 

I'd say it's more about your priorities changing as an older gamer. I'm 33 and feel this way as well. While gaming is still important to me and a big part of what makes me who I am, I no longer care about being a super sweaty and topping any leaderboards. I'm just trying to enjoy my time with the game and unwind after a long day of adulting. I also no longer have any friends that play MMOs because they have families of their own now and they just don't have the time, so I don't even have anyone to really compete with anymore. 

I’m the same. I used to be unnecessarily competitive about gear gains, min maxing and other details, but now with my skills and coordination waning, I just want to most smash stuff with the occasion bit of challenge to keep things interesting, immersive and not trivial. I think guild wars 2 has always worked best when it finds that balance (not that I’m against hardcore content in its right place)

I have little interest in rotations and meta builds. I just tie together what works for me and do the appropriate content. Part of me wants to raid, but I’m long past the idea of having to work at and practice in a video game. Pick up and play - that’s me. 

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

I remember doing Fractal Bosses and certain other tough encounters to train my reflexes. There were some challenges in GW2 that lasted 1h+ of constant fighting. Back in those days, I enjoyed the thrill. But today, I do not want to go for such weird challenges anymore. Freetime became more precious. The older I become, the less time there is for gaming.

When creating builds or helping other players, I focus more on meta-compatibility. Something I've never dared to think about years ago is now a standard, DPS checking my builds at the golem before I share them. Not that I care about it, but I know the next generation of players cares about that info. And it is a good way for me, to see how good my builds really are. I do not aim for snowcrows benchmarks, but when I get something with 4k or lower, I know I should return to the sketch-board. On the other hand, I often end up shocked when thing easily breaks 8-10k on the first field-test after the theory-crafting. 

I also enjoy playing support roles more and watch new players enjoying the game. I've created a warrior boon supply I use to carry players through easy instanced content. Really love doing story dungeons and seeing new players discovering their true strength on full buffs. And using the experience and knowledge of the past 10 years to help others.
 

Edited March 13, 2023 by HnRkLnXqZ.1870

[Xelqypla.6817]

I've always been more interested in having fun, generally with interesting builds that are rarely Meta.

 

My current enjoyment is a D/D Condi Specter Thief for excessive healing, leeching, and barriers. Fairly unga bunga.

[crepuscular.9047]

mechanist, totally can see my self playing it 99% of the time when I'm into my 90s, an increase from the current 33%

[Tiviana.2650]

4 hours ago, McFly.2134 said:

Anyone else feel the same way?  

Oh man do i! I was a hard core raider and gladiator in my wow days. I no lifed my way to every hard core mode in the game, had just about every mount,every achievement , gold capped. I am just tired now, tired of min maxing everything, having to stay on top to be relevant , spending countless hours clocking in and out like a job. Games are supposed to be fun and engaging, but when they become a race to the finish line we need to reexamine our priorities. And also the no downtime gameplay got old, having to research every rotation to maximize everything is tedious. You can write a book out of some rotations no joke, my brain just wants to run around free and whack things in game, not have to line up this to do that, and make sure you time it so this field is down or otherwise suffer a dps loss. I mean i still play that way but its not constant now.  Also grinding, grinding is monotonous, some grinding is to be expected. But when you base the entire game on grinds its gotten old. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Tiviana.2650

[Tiviana.2650]

1 hour ago, crepuscular.9047 said:

mechanist, totally can see my self playing it 99% of the time when I'm into my 90s, an increase from the current 33%

Honestly I like mech to relax with, and since i broke my hand in January its one of the few classes I can play decent now, that or longbow ranger since i cant move my character well yet. I had the claw better now the cast is off https://imgur.com/a/TB2sk6U

Edited March 13, 2023 by Tiviana.2650

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

One of the unfortunate things I've learned is that, as the game transitioned through its phases, all of the old knowledge that has been built up becomes less and less useful.  My initial experience with the game's launch was with teams of 5 RNG builds which eventually became 5 berserker players.  Many knock that system for lacking depth, but for any practical sense it made fights into high-action engagements where your survival depended almost wholly on your ability to read enemies, avoid attacks, and properly space yourself.  Hard to think of it now, but back then Vigor was one of the best PVE boons in a game, because it allowed players to dodge so much incoming damage.  Also, damage rotations on the core classes were much simpler.

HoT begin to change that.  Planned raids introduced the need for healers and more focus on boons, which really meant running boon chrono and a druid for every team.  This set the ground for the current system where everybody could become incredibly powerful healers, capable of carrying teams far better than Aegis and Blinds could in the past.  The paradigm shifted, and now the ability to shuck and dive while watching for big telegraphs was no longer valuable.  The game became about executing rotations as precisely as possible while the healer and the other mechanically minded player made all of the mistakes vanish.

The rotation paradigm has been less forgiving.  Every time there's a balance update to PVE, the rotations shift in bizarre and unpredictable ways.  Every time it does, all the muscle memory and practice goes down the drain.  After having to learn new rotations for every build on every specialization over and over again, I just quit caring.  What I learned earlier is good enough, and I don't enjoy having to pin down ever increasingly difficult setups.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Blood Red Arachnid.2493

[Vayne.8563]

40? Old?  I have socks older than you.

 

On a more serious note, lots of older players play more casually than they did when they were younger and there's nothing at all wrong with that. As others have said, get yourself a low intensity build and have some fun.

 

On another note, your chair, the type of mouse and keyboard you use, the way everything is set up can make a big difference in your ability to game for longer sessions.  I use an MMO mouse, because if I had to try using all my skills by hitting keys, I'd be lost.  In addition, I have keyboard with extra keys I can bind.  I have a kitten good computer chair. It helps me get through long sessions of play.

 

Take breaks, keep yourself hydrated and remember you're not 20 anymore and that's okay. Some of us even like it. lol

[Danikat.8537]

I don't think it's purely age related. I'm coming up on 38 and still very much enjoying the same sort of professions and builds I did when I started GW2 (which are variations on the kind of things I've been playing since I discovered RPGs nearly 30 years ago). I actually like untamed because it made my ranger more complicated to play. (But on the other hand I've never cared about getting the biggest numbers or other people's benchmarks, my priority has always been what I find fun to play, it's just that's usually complicated builds.)

I think in your case it might be related to taking a break for a few years and then coming back to the game. I'm guessing when you decided to pick up GW2 again you weren't thinking about rotations and APM and DPS, you were thinking about the activities you want to do, so figuring all that out again now feels like a barrier rather than part of the fun.

For now I agree with the advice to go for something simpler, either a more straight-forward profession like warrior or a low intensity build, but don't be surprised if when you get back into the game again you find yourself wanting a bit more from your character. In that case I'd say bear in mind it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other, there's a lot of middle ground to explore to find something that's right for you.

[Vayne.8563]

1 hour ago, Danikat.8537 said:

I don't think it's purely age related. I'm coming up on 38 and still very much enjoying the same sort of professions and builds I did when I started GW2 (which are variations on the kind of things I've been playing since I discovered RPGs nearly 30 years ago). I actually like untamed because it made my ranger more complicated to play. (But on the other hand I've never cared about getting the biggest numbers or other people's benchmarks, my priority has always been what I find fun to play, it's just that's usually complicated builds.)

I think in your case it might be related to taking a break for a few years and then coming back to the game. I'm guessing when you decided to pick up GW2 again you weren't thinking about rotations and APM and DPS, you were thinking about the activities you want to do, so figuring all that out again now feels like a barrier rather than part of the fun.

For now I agree with the advice to go for something simpler, either a more straight-forward profession like warrior or a low intensity build, but don't be surprised if when you get back into the game again you find yourself wanting a bit more from your character. In that case I'd say bear in mind it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other, there's a lot of middle ground to explore to find something that's right for you.

I don't think it's purely age related either.  But I know that at 24 I had far less responsibility, no family, no one to care for but myself, and I was able to play for hours, and learn everything without nothing distracting me that was more important than game.  By the time I was forty I was working too many hours a week, I had a family to take care of, and the amount of spare energy I had was much less. As time goes on, for many people (obviously not all) the attention you have to split amongst your various responsibilities increases.  At one point I was looking to be competitive and burn off steam. At the other end I was looking for something to relax and not put too much pressure on me. I was competitive enough at work.

It's obviously not just age, but even when you're talking about age, it's not just age.  There are 24 year olds with great responsibilty too. I just think the odds are as you get older, you end up having to re-assess some priorities.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Vayne.8563

[Pifil.5193]

I'm getting on myself and I find myself loving the medium effort classes more and more. I used to raid on Warlock in WoW back in the day, spending my time it was like trying to keep a dozen plates spinning while playing dodgeball. Can't be bothered with that anymore.

[Super Hayes.6890]

I'm 38 and feel the same way.  Only time I care about my builds these days is when my kids are playing too. They get me into... "situations" 😒🤣

[idpersona.3810]

13 minutes ago, Super Hayes.6890 said:

I'm 38 and feel the same way.  Only time I care about my builds these days is when my kids are playing too. They get me into... "situations" 😒🤣

100% 😁