Any plans for vanilla servers?

[QueenKeriti.5176]

Good ol' days of No Wardrobe, SOULbound legendaries (might have been berserker stats only; I don't remember), classes that people absolutely refused to run dungeons/content with and would kick you out as a griefer if you tried joining with them, extremely limited selection of skins/customization, slow combat, failed world bosses, world bosses not spawning on overflow maps (not sure if bug or feature at the beginning, but that was pretty "fun"/rage inducing having Behemoth not spawn on your map), decaying servers pre-megaservers, final mission of the core story being gated behind a dungeon (Arah), and a hek of a lot more. Good times.

(Plus Anet outright stating the other week that they're not looking at Classic servers, lol)

[Ashen.2907]

On 1/1/2024 at 12:12 PM, Biziut.3594 said:

What do You want, legendary stuff to look like base stuff and not have effects at all?

Personally, yes.

[Logos.3042]

9 hours ago, Godfather.9058 said:

This. I just did the Dragon's Stand meta after not doing it at all for several years. Let's just say, it was different from the Heart of Thorns days. VERY different.

Mounts everywhere (not using them means you will be left behind), massive DPS with the new elite specs and changes resulting in much shorter fights.

Even HOT content has been heavily altered by the new changes. And people say "you can just do core content, it's the same."

I actually agree with your overall sentiment.  I would have preferred they kept gliding and had no flying mounts…

 

Heres my thought since it really isnt likely to have anet make a seperate server…

Allow a 10x (or more.. make it HoT equivalent) difficulty setting for core Tyria.  Lord knows it needs it with how much damage level 80 players with mounts do in those maps.  Make  it harder by massively buffing mob HP and damage output.  
 

i know most people Just Tome of Knowledge right past 1-80, but they are cool levels, or at least wear when they were harder to fight through and harder to move through.  It would be cool to have a hardmode setting that would group other people that want a challenge together on a server like that, if possible, which it seems like this suggestion is.  You could keep everything else the same, just make the maps harder.  

[Godfather.9058]

11 hours ago, QueenKeriti.5176 said:

Good ol' days of No Wardrobe, SOULbound legendaries (might have been berserker stats only; I don't remember), classes that people absolutely refused to run dungeons/content with and would kick you out as a griefer if you tried joining with them, extremely limited selection of skins/customization, slow combat, failed world bosses, world bosses not spawning on overflow maps (not sure if bug or feature at the beginning, but that was pretty "fun"/rage inducing having Behemoth not spawn on your map), decaying servers pre-megaservers, final mission of the core story being gated behind a dungeon (Arah), and a hek of a lot more. Good times.

(Plus Anet outright stating the other week that they're not looking at Classic servers, lol)

Another one ignoring what I said in the OP and lying that I want the removal of quality of life features such as the wardrobe.

"This guy wants the combat to be slower paced how it used to be. He also hates the idea of flying mounts in MMORPGs as they break exploration and traversal, especially for old maps that were not designed with flying mounts in mind. This means he also wants the removal of a convenient gallery for all his skins even though he didn't say so. Sure makes sense to me." Basically your logic.

Go look up Turtle WoW to understand how to make a vanilla server for an MMORPG while keeping all the QOL features from the modern version (and then some). Last time I reply to one of these posts. Blocked. Bye.

If anet doesn't give a single F about classic servers, let people host their own classic servers.

[Ashen.2907]

If you keep all of the QoL features of the modern game then you are not, by definition, playing on a vanilla server. 

[IAmNotMatthew.1058]

1 hour ago, Godfather.9058 said:

Another one ignoring what I said in the OP and lying that I want the removal of quality of life features such as the wardrobe.

"This guy wants the combat to be slower paced how it used to be. He also hates the idea of flying mounts in MMORPGs as they break exploration and traversal, especially for old maps that were not designed with flying mounts in mind. This means he also wants the removal of a convenient gallery for all his skins even though he didn't say so. Sure makes sense to me." Basically your logic.

Go look up Turtle WoW to understand how to make a vanilla server for an MMORPG while keeping all the QOL features from the modern version (and then some). Last time I reply to one of these posts. Blocked. Bye.

If anet doesn't give a single F about classic servers, let people host their own classic servers.

That ain't vanilla or classic mate.

[kharmin.7683]

1 hour ago, Godfather.9058 said:

If anet doesn't give a single F about classic servers, let people host their own classic servers.

I can see no good business reason for Anet to allow this.

[Pifil.5193]

7 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

I can see no good business reason for Anet to allow this.

Yeah, I mean, there's absolutely no benefit to them allowing this at all. The idea is ludicrous.

Blizzard sued and shut down numerous private server operators in the past, ArenaNet would do the same if someone tried setting one up.

[Godfather.9058]

9 hours ago, IAmNotMatthew.1058 said:

That ain't vanilla or classic mate.

Then what do you call an MMORPG with only the vanilla content that has the quality of life features from the modern version?

What is the correct term I should be using for this discussion? Because we currently have examples of this being done.

2 hours ago, Pifil.5193 said:

Yeah, I mean, there's absolutely no benefit to them allowing this at all. The idea is ludicrous.

Blizzard sued and shut down numerous private server operators in the past, ArenaNet would do the same if someone tried setting one up.

Thing is, Blizzard shutting down private servers doesn't make me want to play on their official servers. Because they are trash. People play on private servers because they hate modern WOW. I highly doubt they are bringing in new players by doing this. They are just causing bad PR for themselves.

It is beneficial for the players. But as we all know capitalism bla bla bla anet private profit shareholders bla bla bla no fun allowed.

Here is a question for you. What happens to Guild Wars 2 once anet shuts down the servers? Not "IF", but "WHEN". It is an inevitability. Might be 10 years from now. Might be 50. It will happen.

[Sobx.1758]

Play core content (not like you'd have any other on vanilla server) on core specs. Bonus points for getting core account so you don't have masteries.

For that matter, make a core guild so you can play fractals in core parties too. If you won't be able to gather enough people in the guild that want that core gameplay then that's your answer "why no vanilla server". Because like whole 5 players want it.

Edited January 4 by Sobx.1758

[Kiki.9450]

26 minutes ago, Godfather.9058 said:

It is beneficial for the players. But as we all know capitalism bla bla bla anet private profit shareholders bla bla bla no fun allowed.

Here is a question for you. What happens to Guild Wars 2 once anet shuts down the servers? Not "IF", but "WHEN". It is an inevitability. Might be 10 years from now. Might be 50. It will happen.

GW2 Core is free to play. And hey, it's kind of what you wanted right? "Vanilla servers?"

While you're off playing Core and not spending money on it, I and other players will spend money on newer things because we like seeing development on the game (part of a big appeal to MMOs in the first place). This is far more beneficial to the players than playing on some rinky-dink private server run out of some guy's basement.

And when GW2 shuts down its servers in however many decades, well, that's fine actually. It's in their terms of use that they can shut the servers down whenever they want for whatever reason and any money we spent for any items gained can be lost in the process. Don't like it? Don't play it. This is the same for every MMORPG ever. Even the private servers run on some guy's basement PC.

[QueenKeriti.5176]

First time I've had someone go "BLOCKED" at me in a while, especially since I never said you were lying, lmao. I was pointing out things that would be on a truly Vanilla/Classic GW2 server. Having all the "modern conveniences" would not be a "vanilla" experience.

Like Sobx said, make a core F2P account and enjoy your vanilla experience with the QOL updates. Turn down Character Model Limits + Quality, turn graphics settings down a bit, limit your frames to 60, and have fun!

[Kiki.9450]

Just now, QueenKeriti.5176 said:

First time I've had someone go "BLOCKED" at me in a while, especially since I never said you were lying, lmao. I was pointing out things that would be on a truly Vanilla/Classic GW2 server. Having all the "modern conveniences" would not be a "vanilla" experience.

Like Sobx said, make a core F2P account and enjoy your vanilla experience with the QOL updates. Turn down Character Model Limits + Quality, turn graphics settings down a bit, limit your frames to 60, and have fun!

When WoW Classic went into TBC and WotLK, a lot of complaints came from players when Blizzard implemented "#SomeChanges," many of which were QoL changes to the original experience, others were an attempt to liven up the experience. (Who would ever think fifteen-year-old content is dull? 😛)

[IAmNotMatthew.1058]

48 minutes ago, Godfather.9058 said:

Then what do you call an MMORPG with only the vanilla content that has the quality of life features from the modern version?

What is the correct term I should be using for this discussion? Because we currently have examples of this being done.

You don't call them classic or vanilla, that's it. If I play WoW Classic, but the game has all the QoL features of Retail it isn't classic anymore, it's just the current version, but without the expansions. I really want a list of MMOs that have classic servers with all the QoL features added over the years. 

However, what you're looking for is the current core game of GW2 that is free to play. It has all the content you want in your classic servers with all the QoL features.

[QueenKeriti.5176]

8 minutes ago, Kiki.9450 said:

When WoW Classic went into TBC and WotLK, a lot of complaints came from players when Blizzard implemented "#SomeChanges," many of which were QoL changes to the original experience, others were an attempt to liven up the experience. (Who would ever think fifteen-year-old content is dull? 😛)

I know, right? People forget just how bad things were because the brain wants to cling to the good times and ignore the bad. I tried a couple SWG pservers (RIP SWG), and...vanilla is just bad. Community is what made that game good, lol.

[Danikat.8537]

So you want a version of the game with all the updates, changes, additions etc. you do like, but none of the ones you don't like? And you think a significant number of players would agree with you on which ones should be kept and which should be reverted?

In that case I really don't understand why you'd ask for a duplicate version of the game instead of asking Anet to fix the one that already exists. They may not do it exactly the way you're imagining - for example they might expand the use of no-mount no-gliding zones in the core maps instead of disabling them entirely - but the end result is far more likely to be both a version of the game you'd want to play and one populated with other people than asking for a Vanilla version which, as this thread illustrates, means something very different to most people.

I also agree with the people who recommended making a core-only or free account and playing on that to see how it feels. No it won't be exactly what you're imagining because you will still see other players using the tools you don't have, but your experience will be pretty close (especially now you've explained that you don't want things like the wardrobe and balance changes reverted). From my own experience and other people I know who have done it I suspect even if the novelty doesn't wear off you'll find it is only a novelty and you don't want to play like that all the time.

[Godfather.9058]

13 hours ago, Sobx.1758 said:

Play core content (not like you'd have any other on vanilla server) on core specs. Bonus points for getting core account so you don't have masteries.

For that matter, make a core guild so you can play fractals in core parties too. If you won't be able to gather enough people in the guild that want that core gameplay then that's your answer "why no vanilla server". Because like whole 5 players want it.

I actually did that last night. I went to Dry Top. Took me 12 minutes until I saw this. 

 https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Aurene's_Prismatic_Noble#/media/File:Aurene's_Prismatic_Noble.jpg

Or something very similar. The rainbow on the wings really stood out. I know. You think this is not distracting bla bla bla. That I can just do my own thing while ignoring it bla bla bla. Skins don't matter bla bla bla.

That is your opinion. Not mine.

[Godfather.9058]

13 hours ago, Kiki.9450 said:

GW2 Core is free to play. And hey, it's kind of what you wanted right? "Vanilla servers?"

What do I do when I see a christmas tree on fire fishing in the asura starter zone? It happened before. Just pretend it is not there and move on? I rather play solo than see this.

Edited January 5 by Godfather.9058

[Sobx.1758]

6 minutes ago, Godfather.9058 said:

I actually did that last night. I went to Dry Top. Took me 12 minutes until I saw this. 

 https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Aurene's_Prismatic_Noble#/media/File:Aurene's_Prismatic_Noble.jpg

Or something very similar. The rainbow on the wings really stood out. I know. You think this is not distracting bla bla bla. That I can just do my own thing while ignoring it bla bla bla. Skins don't matter bla bla bla.

That is your opinion. Not mine.

"and you saw this!" -ok, so what?

[Kiki.9450]

22 minutes ago, Godfather.9058 said:

What do I do when I see a christmas tree on fire fishing in the asura starter zone? It happened before. Just pretend it is not there and move on? I rather play solo than see this.

Assuming a "Christmas tree on fire" is supposed to be a player with a stupid-bright transmog, I can only suggest setting Character Model Quality to lowest. As a bonus, enjoy the extra frames! This not immersive enough for you? Well those "shadow men" as I call them were in the game since the beginning and I'm ever grateful for this particular setting because I too don't care for such appearances.

If that's not a good enough answer, then play solo. "B-b-but I want to play GW2!!!" And you can, just not your exact way. Either play it as you can or don't play at all.

Anet isn't making you a special server.

[Danikat.8537]

54 minutes ago, Godfather.9058 said:

What do I do when I see a christmas tree on fire fishing in the asura starter zone? It happened before. Just pretend it is not there and move on? I rather play solo than see this.

Vanilla servers would not guarantee that all other players dress according to your specifications.

Flame Legion armour (which has fire effects) was one of the most popular sets shortly after launch, partially because the dungeon could be farmed quickly and partially because of the extra effects. All the gen 1 legendary weapons (including The Bifrost and The Moot, which both make you glow) and many bright dyes (including Celestial and Hot Pink) were available and popular. There would be fewer back items, but I think you mentioned Fractals being available (which was actually added after launch) so the Fractal Capacitor (floating and glowing) would be available, and unless festivals are disabled the festival backpacks would be there too.

It might take a week or two for someone to combine a whole set of effects (I think it took 3 weeks for the first legendaries to be made, but mainly because at launch no one knew what the process was) but I guarantee you some players will use new servers as a challenge to get things like legendaries as quickly as possible, and then they'll have a new incentive to show it off, inspiring others to do the same.

Or they could just use a tonic to turn themselves into a Fire Elemental or something. If anything those were more common at launch, I think Anet expected them to be a bigger deal with players, because they were very popular collectors items in GW1.

Edited January 5 by Danikat.8537

[Pifil.5193]

15 hours ago, Godfather.9058 said:

Thing is, Blizzard shutting down private servers doesn't make me want to play on their official servers. Because they are trash. People play on private servers because they hate modern WOW. I highly doubt they are bringing in new players by doing this. They are just causing bad PR for themselves.

It's important to remember that a lot of people also play on private servers because they are cheaper or free to play on. If people can't play on those cheap/free servers then some may decide to subscribe to WoW.

15 hours ago, Godfather.9058 said:

Here is a question for you. What happens to Guild Wars 2 once anet shuts down the servers? Not "IF", but "WHEN". It is an inevitability. Might be 10 years from now. Might be 50. It will happen.

Well, the answer is in the question isn't it? Once ArenaNet shuts down the servers they're gone. All the accounts, all the characters, everything will be lost. I don't see how classic servers would prevent that.

Are ArenaNet likely to release the code for the various types of servers required to basically "open source" GW2 when it's shut down? That's doubtful.

Are people likely to put the effort in to reverse engineer the various GW2 servers in order to replicate them once the servers shut down? Perhaps but I think that's very doubtful as it's so so much work.

[kharmin.7683]

27 minutes ago, Pifil.5193 said:

Are people likely to put the effort in to reverse engineer the various GW2 servers in order to replicate them once the servers shut down? Perhaps but I think that's very doubtful as it's so so much work.

Who would trust their account/items to some unknown person(s) hosting a reverse engineered server?  What's to keep someone from just taking your stuff?

Edited January 5 by kharmin.7683

[Pifil.5193]

9 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Who would trust their account/items to some unknown person(s) hosting a reverse engineered server?  What's to keep someone from just taking your stuff?

It wouldn't be your ArenaNet account because they wouldn't have access to ArenaNets servers, it'd be a new, completely separate account, the same as with private emulated servers in WoW.

Ultimately though, this theoretical third party server only exists because ArenaNet is shutting down the game at some point in the future. My account will have very little value to me in that case, assuming I'm even alive then. 🙂

Edited January 5 by Pifil.5193

[Strider.7849]

I've played since launch and there were some good things back then as well. I liked the old trait system and PvP combat felt like it had a lot less spamming and rotating defensive utilities in an infinite loop. It was more reactionary combat, timing/setting up burst, counting dodges, using defensive abilities appropriately rather than having significant numbers of "get out of jail free" cards. I think the only thing I wouldn't like to see back that goes against what ive said is the old version of stealth and certain builds that could stayed cloaked near permanently. I also miss the near unlimited possibilities in theory crafting and creating unique builds that could operate completely different from other ones by switching a trait here or there or mixing in different stats.

The game is better today overall but I can see why someone would prefer the old way of things. If I was to improve today's game, I'd probably start with reverting celestial stats to not having expertise and concentration. The counter to old celestial used to be full trailblazer (even dire), it feels like these two stats are gone now.