Story = good?

[Loboling.5293]

I play mostly for the story these days. There are some story elements I disagree with. (I need more dialogue options when speaking with NPCs.) But it's generally fun to see the new story and explore the new maps.

Anyway, don't make your opinion of yourself dependent on others. Not all stories need to be amazing to be fun. I mean, most popular movies have god awful stories, but I enjoy (some) them all the same. I mean Avengers whole plot is the heroes looking for the tesaract. And for some reason Nic fury brought their only tracking helicopter, into pistol firing range, only to be blown out of the sky. No military commander would give up such an advantage for virtually no gain. So in essence, the whole movie is pointless and stupid... but... I love the movie. It's really fun and entertaining, even if it is all based on a plot hole.

Gw2 story may have many similar problems, and sometimes it can be a little frustrating when you're invested. (Like all the players, including myself, that wanted more fitting dialogue responses to Brahn having his blame game directed at you a few story chapters ago.) Many, since they couldn't retort in the game, suddenly felt helpless, and were literally asking for the devs to kill Brahm, because he was violating their vision for their character. He was making their story harder to immerse into.

But theres no reason to not have fun playing a game. And I can assure you, the people complaining about the story, care a lot about the story. Otherwise, they wouldn't waste their time giving feedback. So you're no alone in enjoying the Gw2 story. Most people who play I think do too.

[Ledi.9742]

i do not know if the story is actually good or whatever, but genuinely i do not care. i like it, and im having great time playing the story stuff, and i always excitedly wait for next story update. people mindlessly bashing the story makes me feel bad since its something i enjoy a lot, but in the end its not my problem.

[Teratus.2859]

@Randulf.7614 said:

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@"TezPoca.7203" said:It never really made sense for me. But now that we have the Stone-summit dwarfs reappear along the destroyers, we have a hint at why they disappeared along side the "good" dwarfs even though they didn't partake in the great last battle (well, we had hints back then in Gw1, but didn't we intersect exactly those plans?). Now you can argue if this is even a retcon or was planned all along, but can you not with all retcons to some extent?Nicabar Steelweaver: Aren't these dwarves supposed to be extinct?Vishen Steelshot: Don't ask me; this was your plan.Cinder Steeltemper: There's too many of these kitten dwarves!Nicabar Steelweaver: They don't seem to be...alive. What kind of magic is this?

Yep this wasn't actually a retcon, but a continuation of a story started in GW1 with Duncan the Black. I thought they got this right and why LS5 has generally kept things a bit more on track

Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to more of that story too.I really like the idea of foolish dwarfs essentially trying to channel an elder dragon to stave off the rite, only to loose themselves anyway and seemingly have their souls incinerated by the very power they tried to harness.

[Randulf.7614]

@Teratus.2859 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@"TezPoca.7203" said:It never really made sense for me. But now that we have the Stone-summit dwarfs reappear along the destroyers, we have a hint at why they disappeared along side the "good" dwarfs even though they didn't partake in the great last battle (well, we had hints back then in Gw1, but didn't we intersect exactly those plans?). Now you can argue if this is even a retcon or was planned all along, but can you not with all retcons to some extent?Nicabar Steelweaver: Aren't these dwarves supposed to be extinct?Vishen Steelshot: Don't ask me; this was your plan.Cinder Steeltemper: There's too many of these kitten dwarves!Nicabar Steelweaver: They don't seem to be...alive. What kind of magic is this?

Yep this wasn't actually a retcon, but a continuation of a story started in GW1 with Duncan the Black. I thought they got this right and why LS5 has generally kept things a bit more on track

Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to more of that story too.I really like the idea of foolish dwarfs essentially trying to channel an elder dragon to stave off the rite, only to loose themselves anyway and seemingly have their souls incinerated by the very power they tried to harness.

I suspect that is all we will get on that story. There isn't a huge amount to tell. There was a rite 250 years ago that we stopped, it eventually succeeded and Dwarves corrupted themselves in someway.

If we ever get to Primordus again they might elaborate more, but I think their place in this season is done with. It felt more like a nod to GW1 done the right way - which is something they rarely have got right

[thepenmonster.3621]

You're allowed to like what you like. Anyone who disagrees with your tastes don't hold opinions worth consideration.

[WorldofBay.8160]

on the story side, the grand scheme, i prefer the first half of the personal story, the cultural part. the time when you're just a skillful person, a warrior, an inventor, a guard of the dream. just some above-average dude that becomes known by his actions.i don't like the big apocalyptic stories where you need to save the world with some plan then save the world from your plan, then save the world again because it can't do anything by itself and hey save the world another time because you have nothing else to do, right?

but the writing of the later story is great imo. bad general story but really good excecution. i like the roles, the jokes and connections, the voice actors and the setting. it looks pretty forced to me that every group of heroes needs at least 1 of every species but the rest is good enough to save that.

what i don't like about the story is that i'm the commander because i am not. a commander would not run into some ruins and fetch an artifact. a hero does that. i am a hero, not a commander. i don't do the decisions, maybe my character decides but not me, so just call me hero or adventurer and i'm fine. maybe champion like aurene does, also fine. but don't fake me into a leading position when i'm not leading.

another point of critique for me is special to my character: i am an asura. not just some asura, i am the famous inventor that snatched the snaff-price with a glorious invention! i am a true intellectual! don't treat me like an underachiever in the story, i understand taimi's technobabble, i understand all those machines, why can't i contribute anything meaningful other than my blade??

at the very end, i have to say i like it, it's good, it feels nice to play story. there is wasted potential, yes, but don't judge a thing by what it could have been, judge it by what it is, otherwise you won't ever be happy.

[Tsakhi.8124]

@Mortifera.6138 said:I really like the story, to the point where I log in solely for the story and new maps. But I've been reading people hating on the cast and characters and not being impressed by the story. This is really disheartening and I feel inferior for liking the story now... So does anyone here really like the story like I do? I'd love to hear that side of it.

Then we'll be inferior together. I like the story, I like to dislike the characters. I like to hate characters. I love to fall in love with them again. Also, for the record, you're not inferior at all, those that say otherwise aren't worth the effort to care. The only reason I censor myself here is that if I don't, the censoring will be done for me. :P

Just smack the jerks with a fried chicken, that's what I do. XD

[MorningGlow.5376]

@"Randulf.7614" said:Let me elaborate more since I wrote that in a hurry;And elaborate you did! Thanks for the effort. I hope i don't devalue that by not giving an likewise in-depth answer, even though there are points where i would disagree. But can i assume we have some common ground regarding statement, that a major issue with the story is not necessarily bad ideas itself, but rather the rush of things that would have needed more time and detail to really flourish? (And that at some points "rush" might even be an understatement?)

In this regard, i tend to have higher hopes for the recent LS. I mean, we have 5 story steps so far (counting in the prologue and the sorta in-between vision of the past) and yet we are nowhere near the events we saw in the trailer. This ought to be a good sign, no? A short note on Drakkar though, i do only partially agree here. I would hardly call Drakkar an iconic character. In fact, by the time he was mentioned in the preview of the icebrood saga, many people didn't even immediately remember who he was (at least how i perceived it). After all he was barely visible in Gw1 (literally) and his involvement in the story was indirect at best. Back then it was rather the promise of a story thread to unfold in Gw2. Now the fact, that it didn't, while disheartening, is not too harmful for the story as a such (imo). I would rather shift that line of argument onto the Mursaat and therefore Lazarus, like you already mentioned.

[Randulf.7614]

@TezPoca.7203 said:

@"Randulf.7614" said:Let me elaborate more since I wrote that in a hurry;And elaborate you did! Thanks for the effort. I hope i don't devalue that by not giving an likewise in-depth answer, even though there are points where i would disagree. But can i assume we have some common ground regarding statement, that a major issue with the story is not necessarily bad ideas itself, but rather the rush of things that would have needed more time and detail to really flourish? (And that at some points "rush" might even be an understatement?)

In this regard, i tend to have higher hopes for the recent LS. I mean, we have 5 story steps so far (counting in the prologue and the sorta in-between vision of the past) and yet we are nowhere near the events we saw in the trailer. This ought to be a good sign, no? A short note on Drakkar though, i do only partially agree here. I would hardly call Drakkar an iconic character. In fact, by the time he was mentioned in the preview of the icebrood saga, many people didn't even immediately remember who he was (at least how i perceived it). After all he was barely visible in Gw1 (literally) and his involvement in the story was indirect at best. Back then it was rather the promise of a story thread to unfold in Gw2. Now the fact, that it didn't, while disheartening, is not too harmful for the story as a such (imo). I would rather shift that line of argument onto the Mursaat and therefore Lazarus, like you already mentioned.

The vast majority of my points are subjective and of course some of the points others will see as plus points.

The rushing is a big part of the problem. It's unfortunate that they write what the schedule dictates and not schedule what the story requires. That's why this episodic cadence can sometimes fall down.

As for Drakkar, for me it is an iconic creature and is a firm part of recent Norn history since Drakkar is visible in GW1 and responsible for for becoming the mouthpiece that brought about Svanir's corruption and everything connected thereafter. Yes at the time it was indirect, but now it is a direct part of the story. Whether it has harmed the story is debatable as you say, it's more a continuing example of how the writers seem to be things on a conveyer belt to be dealt with asap rather than giving them enough time and presence.

I've looked forward to Drakkar since launch, yet the story arc and the fight were both underwhelming from my point of view

Throwing in Aurene and making all about her (the writers words) has basically killed any realistic hope of salvaging the story as a whole even though there will be some good bits along the way

[GW Noob.6038]

The story is good...but they ruined it with puzzle-type content. I avoid story-mode like the plague. :#

[Zephire.8049]

I very much enjoy the story. I can understand why others wouldn't, but for an MMO I'd say GW2's story is actually better than a lot of other MMOs. If I wanted an in-depth emotional story, I'd go with a single-player game or movie as MMOs need to be written much broader to account for multiple people playing different races and classes.

Sometimes you just want some fantasy that scratches familiar itches and there's nothing wrong with that, especially when so much scifi and fantasy nowadays leans dark or gritty or dystopian. GW2's story has gotten more serious but it still keeps things light through NPC dialogue and additions like Snargle Goldclaw's whole quest.

Also I can say that as a writer, a lot of the people who harp on GW2's story don't actually know how to write a novel, let alone several of them (video games generally have hundreds of thousands of voiced lines and that's not even counting writing and lore elsewhere in the game or the IP bible that the public doesn't see). Obviously not everyone, but I've seen so many suggestions on how to "fix" the story that would effectively make it bland as heck and the novelty would last for one update, maybe two, and then people would get bored of it and want something else. You have to account for pacing, emotional balance, character development/time on screen, what VAs you'll have available for the foreseeable future, what the goal is for the player character, what options the player will have, how their race or profession will impact their personal experience... also generally there's multiple writers so there has to be coordination between them as well as with other departments and it's just a lot.

Anyway, I'm not saying my opinion is the right one, either, but when people complain about the story, take it with a grain of salt. Especially on a forum where people who are happy with things are the least likely to say anything. Taste is subjective.

[GummyBearSummoner.7941]

When I first played guild wars 2 I had high expectations because I really enjoyed the previous Guild Wars lore & story but once I played it GW2 it was “ok” for me & I didn’t like the ending too much. Then it became way to PC for me so now I’m like meh. But I’m hopeful that it would get better

[Gundahar.2765]

The story is ok, I dislike it here and there, but frankly its hard to find an MMO with good storyline. Tho, Canach, Rythlock, Bangar, I liked, don't remember the rest. What I find better than the story, is random dialogues between some certain ambient and quest NPCs, very amusing at times. The open world NPCs are very lively and well designed in that regard.In the end, the quality of the story is somewhat subjective, if you like positive (Trahearne, Tybalt) or negative (Palawa Joko, Balthazar), witty (Taimi, Halvora) or badkitten (Bangar, Rythlock), silly (Taimi, Snargle Goldclaw) or bold (Valenze, Canach), its all up for the player to judge.Have to say tho, the voice acting for charr is hands down the best I heard in any MMO.PS: the races background stories are very lacking, as a norn I don't feel the viking vibe at all.

[MorningGlow.5376]

@Randulf.7614 said:I've looked forward to Drakkar since launch, yet the story arc and the fight were both underwhelming from my point of viewAnd we are sitting in the same boat here. I might have played down the role of Drakkar a bit too much in my last post, but what i tried to say is that (for me) cutting down Drakkar's story arc is a bit more forgivable, since he wasn't that deeply rooted in the story of Gw1 (compared to the mursaat for example), even though i as well wished he had gotten a more prominent role. Also considering my hope, that they sacrificed the story arc of the old champion in order to have more resources and time to develop a better story for the aspiring champion: Bangar.

After all in my opinion it's not a question whether the team has the ability to write a good story (to me they have proven they can), but more a question of are they able to deliver it, considering all the other circumstances this game brings with it. I think you put it really well here:

It's unfortunate that they write what the schedule dictates and not schedule what the story requires.

[Randulf.7614]

@TezPoca.7203 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:I've looked forward to Drakkar since launch, yet the story arc and the fight were both underwhelming from my point of viewAnd we are sitting in the same boat here. I might have played down the role of Drakkar a bit too much in my last post, but what i tried to say is that (for me) cutting down Drakkar's story arc is a bit more forgivable, since he wasn't that deeply rooted in the story of Gw1 (compared to the mursaat for example), even though i as well wished he had gotten a more prominent role. Also considering my hope, that they sacrificed the story arc of the old champion in order to have more resources and time to develop a better story for the aspiring champion: Bangar.

After all in my opinion it's not a question whether the team has the ability to write a good story (to me they have proven they can), but more a question of are they able to deliver it, considering all the other circumstances this game brings with it. I think you put it really well here:

It's unfortunate that they write what the schedule dictates and not schedule what the story requires.

There's actually a fairly good sign for Bangar beyond the fact he is already well written and that is the fact that got Graham McTavish to voice him. I imagine he doesn't come cheap and is a big enough name that they will utilise him fully

[Chaarliee.2307]

Personally I don't really like the story, I used to, but with time I came to hate the cast. I feel like the story only has one direction, and u don't impact it at all. When I played Star Wars The Old Republic, I really liked playing the story, cause you had different options, and your character could go diferent ways. If anet could bring that to the story, it would be awesome, but I don't think so

[otto.5684]

I thing the core story was decent. For the most part HoT. I did not like LWS2. I liked some of LWS3. I would not play PoF story if you pay me. And LWS4 was terrible. So is LWS5.

Overall, story was never GW2 strong point. While the production quality improved, moving from lore/exploration story to character driven does not work well when you character is a blank state. And most of the cast is.. weak. The villains are terrible. Scoby-Do level terrible.

[Chasind.3128]

There are people who like it & there are people who don't- I myself love getting immersed into stories of games I play BUT GW2 for me fails to do that due to the bad writing- There is alot of cringe & eyeroll moments & could I find better writing on TUMBLR? Probably haha -but that's what I think! I don't play GW2 for the story anymore- I have FFXIV for that- It's Gw2's combat you just can't beat. The customizing of builds & glamours are also what brings me to GW2 time & time again! GW2 combat feels almost more fluid than black desert but also the same? IDK-but don't feel bad for liking something someone else doesn't. It doesn't make your tastes inferior or whatnot. It just makes your tastes different.If someone puts you down because of it, those kinds of people just immediately ignore- They think their opinion should be shared by all & dislike or talk down to anyone who thinks otherwise.

[Trise.2865]

I like it. I've played it multiple times, and will again in the future. I have nothing more to add to this conversation.

[Dante.1763]

@Randulf.7614 said:

@TezPoca.7203 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:I've looked forward to Drakkar since launch, yet the story arc and the fight were both underwhelming from my point of viewAnd we are sitting in the same boat here. I might have played down the role of Drakkar a bit too much in my last post, but what i tried to say is that (for me) cutting down Drakkar's story arc is a bit more forgivable, since he wasn't that deeply rooted in the story of Gw1 (compared to the mursaat for example), even though i as well wished he had gotten a more prominent role. Also considering my hope, that they sacrificed the story arc of the old champion in order to have more resources and time to develop a better story for the aspiring champion: Bangar.

After all in my opinion it's not a question whether the team has the ability to write a good story (to me they have proven they can), but more a question of are they able to deliver it, considering all the other circumstances this game brings with it. I think you put it really well here:

It's unfortunate that they write what the schedule dictates and not schedule what the story requires.

There's actually a fairly good sign for Bangar beyond the fact he is already well written and that is the fact that got Graham McTavish to voice him. I imagine he doesn't come cheap and is a big enough name that they will utilise him fully

I find the back story to season 5 specifically Bangar to be poorly written, has anet done worse in my opinion? a few times with individual stories. This is however the first time ive found an entire season to be lacking more than others.

Do i overall like the story? Yes. But ill still criticize it, as one should.