Not sure how to say this - the "live map" story combo?

[fourhim.3584]

I'm a GW2 Vet but still VERY casual PVE only play, my wife even more so.  Unless I just have a terrible memory about older content, it seems to me something is happening in recent expansions that we are not fond of, and I'm curious if others asked for it to be this way or not.

What I remember from my original story was a lot of "instanced" content.  So if I played with my wife, we could join each other in our own little section of the world cut off from other players and activities happening live around us at the same time.  It was nice and peaceful.  We liked this.  Did other players NOT like this "isolation"?

At some point later on in the expansions, and maybe it was Path of Fire?, personal story started being blended with, or taking place, not in "instanced" content but in the main world still with all the other players.  To me personally this seemed "lazy".  Gone were the cutscenes of my character, or my wife's, talking to another NPC.  Instead we just heard them talking to each other in the midst of everything else going on, or on "comms".  This must have been a deliberate choice on ANET's part - I'm just curious if players were clamoring for it.  Personally I find it very immersion breaking to be having a conversation while your Skyscale is doing its thing in front of me, or a bomb's going off beside us, or endless people run by, etc.  Again, the personal story felt more PERSONAL to us the previous way it was done.  I don't even know it cutscenes are a thing any more, even in instanced content.

So this brings me to Secrets of the Obscure.  Wow what a let down for us.  I'm talking about the "Complete Events" around this zone, and ESPECIALLY "Close rifts" part of the story.  It feels lazy, it doesn't feel personal at all, and it FEELS like, for my wife and I, that to advance that part we need to join a "Rift Train" of some kind.  I know how to do that, but if I wasn't here my wife would have no idea how to do so, and I'm not sure there's any in-game training on how to do it either.  My wife was trying to do those parts without me while I was at work - trying to follow the "Millennium Falcon in Hyperspace" thing to the nearest rift, only for it to already be closed before she arrives (I assume by the "train").  WHY ask a casual solo or duo player to do this in order to advance their personal story?

Anyway, she's not happy with it and is considering not even finishing her story, now that she's in Amnytas and being asked to do it AGAIN.  It just screams of serious lack of imagination regarding what to put into the story.

In closing, as an aside, I don't know what "Commander Etiquette" is now on these rift trains, but joining those trains has frustrated her for another reason.  I remember joining HP trains in POF and the Commanders would link the next Waypoint they were going to in the squad chat.  Very kind, helpful, easy to follow.  Now in SOTO, more often than not, the commander closes the rift and then "poof" disappears, only to reappear on the other side of the map without telling anyone where they're going, and we're all just expected to keep up.  Is this becoming the "new normal" for Commander behavior?  It just further demoralizes very casual players like my wife who just wants to get her story done.

Thanks for listening.

Edited September 19, 2023 by fourhim.3584

[costepj.5120]

You keep stating the personal story isn't personal, maybe that's because it's not your personal story. Your personal story ends with Victory or Death; the story after that is all about the Living World.

[Randulf.7614]

Open world story has existed since season 2. Technically season 1, but I’ll overlook that for various reasons. It’s an integral part of the story since it pulls the map and the story together and if dine right it structures the story and maintain the right pacing. It also gives players a chance to slow down and learn the map, gain the masteries before moving on.

It changed from the personal story based partly on player feedback. HoT briefly separated instance stories and world map stories once more and suffered hugely as a result. The storytelling was a mess (even if the rest of the expansion was fantastic). When Living World settled in, it was clear the intention was to meld the two together more closely.

It doesn’t always get it right. As brilliant as the SoTo story was, the rift hunting was a bit of a problem. They do at least reset pretty quickly, but it’s not always clear and can be frustrating.

tldr: the game has almost always done this post personal story

[fourhim.3584]

Thanks.  I must have definitely remembered it wrong previously, as its been so long.  Sorry about that.  

But yeah, this rift thing in SOTO seems to have taken it to the next level 😞

[Cuks.8241]

Well rifts are designed for such a rushed train content. Hero points wait for you so do bounties for example, rifts don't. I don't like the design as well.

As for the story partially taking place in open world. I like the potential spontaneous encounters in the open world, it's why I play mmorpgs. I didn't like completing rifts as part of the story though. One rift, maybe. More, no ty. But you could also not join commander trains. You could do it solo, tier 1 should be no problem. Tier 2 part is kinda strange though. You don't even need to fill the bar. I did one and after some time, the bar just filled by itself. Don't know if its a bug or intended, it's definitely not polished properly if intended.

[ugrakarma.9416]

This started in HoT history. but very few parts only.

[FalanuLachance.4576]

@OP: Let me add, that we are required to "listen" and "read" through all dialogue now, without a chance to progress or leave, it is so forced in this expansion that Zojja's "A lot has changed." sounds like a threat.

If they're making us more of a simp for Zojja, a lot of people will fold and leave.

Edited September 20, 2023 by FalanuLachance.4576