<!--quoteo(post=1967731:date=Aug 28 2012, 03:37 PM:name=rantology)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rantology @ Aug 28 2012, 03:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1967731"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->if anyone hasn't seen it yet,<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/yxx3m/suspensions_for_offensive_names_and_inappropriate/" target="_blank"> this thread </a>is an absolute <b>gold mine</b>. Basically a GW2 dev explaining and posting actual chatlogs/reasons for why people have been banned. Some of them are just absolutely hilarious.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Some people just don't understand what good behavior is.
TalesinOur own little well of hateJoin Date: 2002-11-08Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
Yeah, already have full 8-slots, but I also don't want to be carting around twenty pieces of gear that are destined for use in the Mystic Forge. Crafting's well and good, but combining items is really the way to go. Eight copper ore from four green items in total, or combine to get a yellow sword usable next level that will beat the pants off your current gear? Or potentially sell for a few gold on the AH, when it's working properly.
Not to mention the bankspace eaten by XP/speed/strength boosts, Slivers, gear destined for other characters, stupid animal-transformation potions, and memento-items (like the Vigil's Might amulet).
ShockehIf a packet drops on the web and nobody's near to see it...Join Date: 2002-11-19Member: 9336NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
edited September 2012
Only, literally only complaint:
Why do I need to mess around with the 'Collections' system, especially when Crafting. Make the crafting loot go into that 'Bag' on pickup, and make it use it directly from there when Crafting. Everything else is just p***ing about for literally no reason.
The rest of the game? Like an MMO, only fun and not paying per month. I'm pretty happy with this purchase.
E: To the NS folk I know.... <i>David Knowles.2390</i>
Shouldn't be too hard getting the gems cheaply for the bank slots. Noticed the gem prices tend to drop everytime the trading post opens up due to demand for gold. Trading post closed = gem price rises. Not sure how long that trend is going to keep up, but you can get something like 350-400 gems per g at low points.
One way to get the gold quickly is just put in buy orders for head of garlic, onion, potato. Pretty stable ~=100% resell margins and huge volumes due to so much built up unsold crap everyone has atm. Bags also have some pretty good margins and volume.
<!--quoteo(post=1970373:date=Sep 3 2012, 12:52 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Sep 3 2012, 12:52 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1970373"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Update: I still think 'manifisto' is a funny typo, and it amuses me that Align continues to be saddled with it. :D<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Oh, you thought it was a typo? That explains why you found it so funny... no, it was completely intentional. Just playing with words, sort of thing.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1970844:date=Sep 4 2012, 06:35 AM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Sep 4 2012, 06:35 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1970844"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm a mod now, I could easily change it if it embarrassed me!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Then you would have to admit that it embarrassed you, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid!
so yah, GW2
I'm actually enjoying the hell out of it. The ability to just sorta roam around and do stuff (with the encouragement to roam of Skill points/pois/vistas/etc) is great.
ATM I'm rocking a level 20ish necromancer, and have fully cleared 3 or 4 zones, and it's really kinda fun to do.
TalesinOur own little well of hateJoin Date: 2002-11-08Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
Yep, up to 52 now and mostly bashing through all of the newbie zones, as they give much the same EXP as later ones, but don't risk death as easily. Managed to get in at a very nice gem/gold dip, and turned two gold into a thousand gems. Expanded the bank, and it's already full again... but I have bag-space at least. Just have to save up two more gold by the time I hit 60.
Current annoyance is that apparently some critters' automatic melee range (ettins for example) is about two pixels outside the auto-attack OK range, but still within the range where an attack will hit and deal damage. Well, that and the fact that Rampage (super-elite warrior skill) is complete crap.. does little damage, and doesn't increase your size if you're already a max-height Charr. Definitely not worth the 30 skill points it cost.
Today me and Fam did some WvW and found an unattended trebuchet on the tower walls near a large fight around a chokepoint. He went out into the field and played spotter, I bombarded them from long range. Had a blast.
I'm enjoying it (especially the hidden jump puzzles) but the one thing I feel it's kinda lacking in is combat. Don't get me wrong, it's still better than the usual MMO nonsense, but after Tera, Dragon's Nest, Phantasy Star Online 2 and whatnot it feels clunky and mired in the past. Why are we still using the mouse buttons to turn the camera when they can be used for handy combat stuff? I do like the combo system though, and I've taken some joy in explaining it to various people as a surprising amount of folk don't seem to realise exactly how it works :3
An MMO trope I also wish they'd dropped is picking your combat class for your character at creation and being stuck with it. When the same game essentially lets you level up and switch crafting classes while retaining progression on those you've put on hold, it feels odd that your combat class should be carved in immovable stone at a point when you can't really even make an informed decisions, and means an indecisive socialite like me is going to have trouble as i end up making 50 odd alts and talking to everyone under a host of aliases :o I'd rather have one central identity, thanks, Arenanet :P
Whining aside, they've done a great job of rewarding exploration and allowing you to essentially raise a 'pacifist' character if you so pleased (the only time you're required to combat in your entire career is to get past kill-gated stuff in the tutorial) A lot of people have called WoW a 'themepark' MMO but I think GW2 is actually closer to that (in a good way) than the usual suspects. With GW2 you explore a large area with various attractions to grab your fancy and while you often have an inkling of what you'd like to go on, you'll often stumble across some unexpected delights en-route. You can take each ride for as long or as little as you wish too. That's more like the experience you get from a themepark than WoW's 'shopping list' system where you go to a hub, get a giant invoice from the various NPCs and go find the appropriate mobs/items from the world's mob-shaped shelves. it's more like working in a warehouse in that respects than the 'themepark' moniker it so often gets :P As such, GW2 is a definite step forward and I hope that any future games not making a sandbox copy their structure rather than using the tired old WoW system (feels weird calling WoW old considering I was already a jaded MMO player long before it appeared :P )
While feeling somewhat abusable, the level scaling thing is nice as missing out on content because i outlevelled it always bothered me and it means you can play with friends for a change. That said, to some degree it does make me wonder why they bothered with increasing player power via level: it's apt enough that it unlocks stuff just now without the extra shenanigans of pumping stats up :3
There is no doubt for me that future MMOs will learn a lot of lessons from Guild Wars 2. A recurring theme with many of the people playing it seems to be "oh yeah, that makes WAY more sense. Why didn't anyone think of that before?"
I'm surprised you included Tera in your list of games that make GW2 seem outdated. Yes, Tera had "target-less" combat where you used a crosshair instead, but it wasn't much of a change really. It wasn't as if that made it a third-person shooter - enemies moved so slowly and predictably that keeping your crosshair over the enemy was merely a matter of indicating which enemy you wanted to damage. It wasn't like you could miss, really. Meanwhile, Tera still stuck to the old convention of "moving negates casting," meaning that you still spent most of your time standing in one spot lobbing spells at the enemy. The only big difference was that you used a crosshair instead of clicking on a target or tab-targeting, and that was largely cosmetic.
I haven't played Tera myself, but maybe it gets liked so much because the aiming thing makes it feel more visceral on a more instinctive level, even if in practice it's basically the same?
I'm feeling kind of lukewarm about Gw2 by now... Combat is nothing special compared to non-MMOs, and all the stupid MMO ###### they got rid of is more of a "failed to annoy me" sort of thing, nothing I'd give it an award for.
Story feels like it hasn't really improved over MMO standards - you have way more options with your character, so there's replay value, but after finishing dealing with my (Charr) dad it's the same old 'help out and save the world' and dozens of characters with no discernible depth. I want to keep playing to find out if it gets interesting again, but I'm not sure I can muster the energy.
I like the small touches like crafting and exploring giving good XP and teaming up not being punished, but they're not enough to make the game fundamentally fun. It IS way better for letting you socialize with strangers than any other MMO I've played though.
Lolf, tera was a massive change, but judging by your description it sounds like you chose a range class which means you missed out on the joy of melee. The big point of not being able to move is that it makes it a choice, a tactical decision, whether to use a move or not. If a BAM that can one-shot you is headed your way then each attack is a risk-reward assessment because standing still to cast it could spell certain doom. In a duel every spell cast is an opportunity for the foe to close the distance, while dodging your barrage. What does it spell in GW2? It spells you running around like a lunatic spamming anything that's not situational the minute it comes off cooldown. I could describe most PvE fights I've had in GW2 as midly retarded. I beat anything not ranged by circlestrafing it to death with my brain switched off. Ranged stuff? unless it's particularly slow firing you're just going to have to accept you're getting a bullet in the face. The rate of fire on your friendly bandit is fast enough to render your two dodges and whatever block/reflect moves you get on their turgid cooldowns moot. you're getting shot in the face and that's that. It's an improvement over standard MMOs in that I at least have to move and there are some reactional abilities like blocks but it's a far cry from Tera played at it's best, where fights against a ranged character can be a dodging, zig-zagging ride along the edge of your seat and if you're good you can come out of it unscathed and your face bullet-free.
As for third person aim being 'cosmetic' I couldn't disagree more than already do. Not only does it free up two mouse buttons for important combat actions instead of being wasted on the camera, the really big deal is that I actually have to know what I'm shooting at and where it actually is. In GW2 I've had many situations where I literally have no freaking clue what I'm attacking. I just know there's an hp bar on my screen and somewhere in the melee/where's wally there's a monster that's dying. Also, in Tera your projectiles are all really projectiles. If you fire and the mob isn't there anymore then it misses and it can even hit the next thing that dundered into it's place. If there's something between you and the target you hit that instead. In GW2, unless you're using an area-based attack you just hit your target unless they use their special magic dodge (which has to be done when you fire, not when the projectile is reaching them, might I add :P ) Hell a simple duel in Tera is an absolute adrenaline buzz because any time you even think of attacking it becomes a mindgame, about spacing, timing and positioning.
If you play a melee class against a BAM in Tera and a melee class against something in GW2 it's like night and day. The melee in tera pops. It's got 'oomph' and every strike is carefully calculated because it leaves you open and the fact you're tied to the animation allows them to carry tremendous weight and momementum unlike GW2's limp torso-blending flailing. Because everything has collision, if the BAM goes for a run you can watch in amazement as your friendly lancer is shoved along the ground infront of it, carried on it's face as you all run to catch up. Oh and hey, no auto-attack. Why? Because, again, every attack matters. If you auto-attacked in Tera against a BAM you'd be dead as it locked you down in the middle of a "IMMA CHARGING MA LASERBEAM" attack you could've avoided if you were thinking and in control.
Tera's problem with combat is that most enemies in 1-19 are easy and don't hurt. Sadly not many got to the point where they got roflstomped by the Basilisks, Egg-spider or even the dungeon so they never had to truly learn how to play (I view this as one of the biggest failings of tera, right next to it's godawful content :P ) As much as I hate the old 'the game starts at level x' arguement, it's sadly true for Tera's combat unless you duelled as most creatures sub level 20 hit like a wet paper towel, so there's no threat and no need to learn and so it turns into a grind.
I think it speaks volumes that i can watch a mass combat situation in tera and have a fairly good idea of what's going on. A mass melee in GW2? good luck on that one. If you can make out anything between the mist of fx from the auto-spam alone you're lucky :P
To be honest though, despite all that ranting, the one thing I struggle to deal with most in GW2 is the fact that sometimes I'm just going to get hit because I'm supposed to, and I have trouble stomaching that. Being hit because of my mistakes? fine. Being hit because avoidance is impossible and wasn't intended to be possible? not so much. Hell to triage, I want to avoid/block/parry/reflect everything! Let me be the graceful, elusive heroine I want to be instead of some face-tanking idiot cos stone cold/arenanet sed so :P
Small correction to that: Many projectiles in GW2 are actually projectiles. If there's another mob/player between you and your target, many projectiles will actually hit the closer mob instead of your target. Also, while some projectiles are homing or so fast it doesn't make a difference, others are slow and dumbfire, it's just less noticeable because you automatically lead your target. But if you're up against a mob that fires slower projectiles, you can avoid them by strafing in one direction, then changing to the opposite direction the moment the mob fires. The shot will lead in the direction you first moved, but you'll move in the other direction and the shot will go wide.
By what you say it sounds like Tera might've been worth a second look, though the fact that it has already lost a lot of subscribers bodes ill. If it goes F2P before it dies I might give it another chance.
Fair enough, I didn't notice the projectile property of the shots in GW2 to be honest, even though I've been dodging and moving to try and find ways to get them to miss, didn't try the change of direction thing though so I'll give it a stab :3
If you do try Tera again, keep what i said in mind about the downsides. As much as i could wax lyrical about the combat, the quests and 'normal' mobs are boring as sin. That's part of why the game leaks people and why it'll probably go free to play. It's a shame because the combat is genuinely quite well done but it's squandered on tired old questing systems and standard mobs that don't encourage you to learn and get the best out of the system. If you want a decent glimmer of what it can offer, duelling is worthwhile (and I noticed they're adding battlegrounds which will help). PvE you're not going to see anything worthwhile unless you're fighting BAMs around your level or doing dungeons. Everything else is yawn-inducing unless you're a weirdo like me who sets personal challenges for not getting hit (but even then, because I know there's no risk and it's just self-imposed it's not exactly exciting compared to the 'real' fights) That said, I guess if you wanted to make it a bit more interesting you can take all your armour off, I hear you take ludicrious amounts of damage with zero armour on (I don't know if there's some kind of naked modifier or something but I'm too hung up on my image to find out :P ) Also keep in mind that anything you do to make fighting normal mobs even remotely interesting will kill your efficiency. Outside of stuff that actually hurts it's sadly always better to face tank through things.
Also, I find the mystic insanely boring compared to all the other classes but that could just be me :3
As for GW2, I think I might've found a mesmer combo that allows me to avoid taking damage in most situations but i'll need to play it more to find out for sure XD Until then, my thief armed with shortbow is the hardest to hit (attack 3 is an evade and because thieves don't have cool-downs I can spam my initiative all into this one move, spacing it with normal dodges when I need to let my initiative recharge :D )
apparently that vid is back using an older version of the mod so the 'problems' he mentions in passing are all gone. Left click does your 'auto' attack and right click does your dodge. Camera is always in mouse look mode unless you open a panel or you can toggle with tab. I'm soooo giving this a shot XD
Apparently they OK'd it too? <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10amev/combat_mode_10_released_arenanet_repond/" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment...renanet_repond/</a> <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/" target="_blank">Heres a response from ArenaNet Dev</a>:
3rd party programs ARE ALLOWED. If they don't automate, bot, alter game files, give an advantage or effect other peoples game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm interested, for sure.
EDIT: Meh, rightclick while holding shift, alt, or ctrl all cause my mouselook to turn off, guess I'll have to still use those skills manually on the keyboard.
<!--quoteo(post=1982734:date=Sep 25 2012, 06:04 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Sep 25 2012, 06:04 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1982734"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Be aware that Arenanet have apparently changed their minds about combat mode. They're no longer allowing it.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Hm, you sure? Guy seemed positive still: <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10amev/combat_mode_10_released_arenanet_repond/c6d40op" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment..._repond/c6d40op</a> Haven't seen anyone say they were banned either (and other people using AutoHotKey to repeat key presses have been). <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10ecfl/anet_reply_combat_mode_is_not_allowed/c6cro44" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment...allowed/c6cro44</a>
Eh I've been playing GW2 alot the last few weeks, and while I was enjoying it alot, its steadily lost its charm as I've gotten to higher levels.
<ul><li>Campaign has steadily worse and worse voice acting</li><li>Campaign feels so detached from the universe with the level requirements demanding you go off and grind for a few hours before coming back to this 'urgent' matter.</li><li>Solo campaign sucks. I don't know who thought being alone all the time would be fun in an MMO. I loved the synergy of classes in GW1's campaigns, and its sorely lacking</li><li>Loads of areas are broken. Broken skill challenges, broken encounters, broken spawn timers. This gets worse the higher level you go. Clearly they polished the newbie experience well, but after that its very rough.</li><li>Crafting is a massive grind to make it useful. I had hoped it would be a useful alternative to buying from stores, but instead it seems to be its own entity that requires loads of cash/time to get good at. And the only real reward is xp, because I don't need 1000 bronze hammers.</li></ul>
All that said, the first 30 levels of GW2 were great. Sylvari newbie story is great, the race is interesting, the theif is fun to play, the sylvari female voice actress is very good, massive encounters with 50+ people are great fun.
Anyone else feel similar? Does the game get better by the end?
But no! You have to get further in the storyline! Once you get done with that pesky annoying "personal story," you get to experience the magnificent glory that is TRAHEARNE, Best Character Ever. Yes, instead of this just being about boring little you all the time (seriously, nobody gives a ###### about you, why don't you ###### off), you FINALLY get to yield the limelight to TRAHEARNE, Best Person of the Best Race. I tell you, I am torn: I'd like to have a little glory for myself, but what if I accidentally stole the focus from TRAHEARNE? I couldn't live with myself! Yes, TRAHEARNE has made this game worth playing again.
I hope the first expansion will be Guild Wars 2: TRAHEARNE. Just to think, we could follow more of his exploits! Oh I swoon at the mere thought! I used to be a skeptic like you, but then I took a TRAHEARNE to the FACE!
Yes, everything is all right now. TRAHEARNE! All hail!
<!--quoteo(post=1988529:date=Oct 8 2012, 11:55 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Oct 8 2012, 11:55 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1988529"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But no! You have to get further in the storyline! Once you get done with that pesky annoying "personal story," you get to experience the magnificent glory that is TRAHEARNE, Best Character Ever. Yes, instead of this just being about boring little you all the time (seriously, nobody gives a ###### about you, why don't you ###### off), you FINALLY get to yield the limelight to TRAHEARNE, Best Person of the Best Race. I tell you, I am torn: I'd like to have a little glory for myself, but what if I accidentally stole the focus from TRAHEARNE? I couldn't live with myself! Yes, TRAHEARNE has made this game worth playing again.
I hope the first expansion will be Guild Wars 2: TRAHEARNE. Just to think, we could follow more of his exploits! Oh I swoon at the mere thought! I used to be a skeptic like you, but then I took a TRAHEARNE to the FACE!
Yes, everything is all right now. TRAHEARNE! All hail!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Eh he is ok (level 60 right now). Since I was sylvari he has featured for a while, although I assumed he would be replaced by someone of my own race if I were another.
But yeah the personal story is ######. Whenever the main character contributes anything, its always the most obvious observations, statements or ideas. And then everyone applauds you for it. Makes me thing I am the special kid they are just patronizing.
I've been playing it on and off (I'm lvl 28ish? on the "Ring of fire" server) in small bursts for a couple of weeks now and its been pretty enjoyable thus far although I have been soloing the whole way so it can be kinda dull at times.
While people help out now and again I never really see parties of people running about just other solo players which I find pretty odd given the nature of the game.
Also the first time I seen a human character next to my Norn I had a good laugh as he was what appeared to be a tiny bearded child in comparison.
Played my Thief up til level 80 and had some fun in WvWvW (personal story got really annoying since Trahearne showed up). Started to play a Necro, but it isn't really my play style. Ranger (played til lvl 33) feels rather underwhelming... can't really put my finger on it. Not sure waht to try next. Engineer looks interesting, but maybe a bit too "gimmicky"?
Engineer isn't for everyone. I can see the appeal in the class, but I'm not sure it's for me. You ought to give it a try though. Warrior is good if you like mashing faces in, and they still have solid ranged options - rifle for single-target, longbow for multi-target and aoe.
Comments
Some people just don't understand what good behavior is.
I must be the video games. Corrupting our youth.
Not to mention the bankspace eaten by XP/speed/strength boosts, Slivers, gear destined for other characters, stupid animal-transformation potions, and memento-items (like the Vigil's Might amulet).
Why do I need to mess around with the 'Collections' system, especially when Crafting. Make the crafting loot go into that 'Bag' on pickup, and make it use it directly from there when Crafting. Everything else is just p***ing about for literally no reason.
The rest of the game? Like an MMO, only fun and not paying per month. I'm pretty happy with this purchase.
E: To the NS folk I know.... <i>David Knowles.2390</i>
One way to get the gold quickly is just put in buy orders for head of garlic, onion, potato. Pretty stable ~=100% resell margins and huge volumes due to so much built up unsold crap everyone has atm. Bags also have some pretty good margins and volume.
Oh, you thought it was a typo? That explains why you found it so funny... no, it was completely intentional. Just playing with words, sort of thing.
Then you would have to admit that it embarrassed you, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid!
so yah, GW2
I'm actually enjoying the hell out of it. The ability to just sorta roam around and do stuff (with the encouragement to roam of Skill points/pois/vistas/etc) is great.
ATM I'm rocking a level 20ish necromancer, and have fully cleared 3 or 4 zones, and it's really kinda fun to do.
Managed to get in at a very nice gem/gold dip, and turned two gold into a thousand gems. Expanded the bank, and it's already full again... but I have bag-space at least. Just have to save up two more gold by the time I hit 60.
Current annoyance is that apparently some critters' automatic melee range (ettins for example) is about two pixels outside the auto-attack OK range, but still within the range where an attack will hit and deal damage.
Well, that and the fact that Rampage (super-elite warrior skill) is complete crap.. does little damage, and doesn't increase your size if you're already a max-height Charr. Definitely not worth the 30 skill points it cost.
I do like the combo system though, and I've taken some joy in explaining it to various people as a surprising amount of folk don't seem to realise exactly how it works :3
An MMO trope I also wish they'd dropped is picking your combat class for your character at creation and being stuck with it. When the same game essentially lets you level up and switch crafting classes while retaining progression on those you've put on hold, it feels odd that your combat class should be carved in immovable stone at a point when you can't really even make an informed decisions, and means an indecisive socialite like me is going to have trouble as i end up making 50 odd alts and talking to everyone under a host of aliases :o
I'd rather have one central identity, thanks, Arenanet :P
Whining aside, they've done a great job of rewarding exploration and allowing you to essentially raise a 'pacifist' character if you so pleased (the only time you're required to combat in your entire career is to get past kill-gated stuff in the tutorial)
A lot of people have called WoW a 'themepark' MMO but I think GW2 is actually closer to that (in a good way) than the usual suspects. With GW2 you explore a large area with various attractions to grab your fancy and while you often have an inkling of what you'd like to go on, you'll often stumble across some unexpected delights en-route. You can take each ride for as long or as little as you wish too. That's more like the experience you get from a themepark than WoW's 'shopping list' system where you go to a hub, get a giant invoice from the various NPCs and go find the appropriate mobs/items from the world's mob-shaped shelves. it's more like working in a warehouse in that respects than the 'themepark' moniker it so often gets :P As such, GW2 is a definite step forward and I hope that any future games not making a sandbox copy their structure rather than using the tired old WoW system (feels weird calling WoW old considering I was already a jaded MMO player long before it appeared :P )
While feeling somewhat abusable, the level scaling thing is nice as missing out on content because i outlevelled it always bothered me and it means you can play with friends for a change. That said, to some degree it does make me wonder why they bothered with increasing player power via level: it's apt enough that it unlocks stuff just now without the extra shenanigans of pumping stats up :3
I'm surprised you included Tera in your list of games that make GW2 seem outdated. Yes, Tera had "target-less" combat where you used a crosshair instead, but it wasn't much of a change really. It wasn't as if that made it a third-person shooter - enemies moved so slowly and predictably that keeping your crosshair over the enemy was merely a matter of indicating which enemy you wanted to damage. It wasn't like you could miss, really. Meanwhile, Tera still stuck to the old convention of "moving negates casting," meaning that you still spent most of your time standing in one spot lobbing spells at the enemy. The only big difference was that you used a crosshair instead of clicking on a target or tab-targeting, and that was largely cosmetic.
I'm feeling kind of lukewarm about Gw2 by now... Combat is nothing special compared to non-MMOs, and all the stupid MMO ###### they got rid of is more of a "failed to annoy me" sort of thing, nothing I'd give it an award for.
Story feels like it hasn't really improved over MMO standards - you have way more options with your character, so there's replay value, but after finishing dealing with my (Charr) dad it's the same old 'help out and save the world' and dozens of characters with no discernible depth. I want to keep playing to find out if it gets interesting again, but I'm not sure I can muster the energy.
I like the small touches like crafting and exploring giving good XP and teaming up not being punished, but they're not enough to make the game fundamentally fun. It IS way better for letting you socialize with strangers than any other MMO I've played though.
As for third person aim being 'cosmetic' I couldn't disagree more than already do. Not only does it free up two mouse buttons for important combat actions instead of being wasted on the camera, the really big deal is that I actually have to know what I'm shooting at and where it actually is. In GW2 I've had many situations where I literally have no freaking clue what I'm attacking. I just know there's an hp bar on my screen and somewhere in the melee/where's wally there's a monster that's dying. Also, in Tera your projectiles are all really projectiles. If you fire and the mob isn't there anymore then it misses and it can even hit the next thing that dundered into it's place. If there's something between you and the target you hit that instead. In GW2, unless you're using an area-based attack you just hit your target unless they use their special magic dodge (which has to be done when you fire, not when the projectile is reaching them, might I add :P ) Hell a simple duel in Tera is an absolute adrenaline buzz because any time you even think of attacking it becomes a mindgame, about spacing, timing and positioning.
If you play a melee class against a BAM in Tera and a melee class against something in GW2 it's like night and day. The melee in tera pops. It's got 'oomph' and every strike is carefully calculated because it leaves you open and the fact you're tied to the animation allows them to carry tremendous weight and momementum unlike GW2's limp torso-blending flailing. Because everything has collision, if the BAM goes for a run you can watch in amazement as your friendly lancer is shoved along the ground infront of it, carried on it's face as you all run to catch up. Oh and hey, no auto-attack. Why? Because, again, every attack matters. If you auto-attacked in Tera against a BAM you'd be dead as it locked you down in the middle of a "IMMA CHARGING MA LASERBEAM" attack you could've avoided if you were thinking and in control.
Tera's problem with combat is that most enemies in 1-19 are easy and don't hurt. Sadly not many got to the point where they got roflstomped by the Basilisks, Egg-spider or even the dungeon so they never had to truly learn how to play (I view this as one of the biggest failings of tera, right next to it's godawful content :P ) As much as I hate the old 'the game starts at level x' arguement, it's sadly true for Tera's combat unless you duelled as most creatures sub level 20 hit like a wet paper towel, so there's no threat and no need to learn and so it turns into a grind.
I think it speaks volumes that i can watch a mass combat situation in tera and have a fairly good idea of what's going on. A mass melee in GW2? good luck on that one. If you can make out anything between the mist of fx from the auto-spam alone you're lucky :P
To be honest though, despite all that ranting, the one thing I struggle to deal with most in GW2 is the fact that sometimes I'm just going to get hit because I'm supposed to, and I have trouble stomaching that. Being hit because of my mistakes? fine. Being hit because avoidance is impossible and wasn't intended to be possible? not so much. Hell to triage, I want to avoid/block/parry/reflect everything! Let me be the graceful, elusive heroine I want to be instead of some face-tanking idiot cos stone cold/arenanet sed so :P
By what you say it sounds like Tera might've been worth a second look, though the fact that it has already lost a lot of subscribers bodes ill. If it goes F2P before it dies I might give it another chance.
If you do try Tera again, keep what i said in mind about the downsides. As much as i could wax lyrical about the combat, the quests and 'normal' mobs are boring as sin. That's part of why the game leaks people and why it'll probably go free to play. It's a shame because the combat is genuinely quite well done but it's squandered on tired old questing systems and standard mobs that don't encourage you to learn and get the best out of the system.
If you want a decent glimmer of what it can offer, duelling is worthwhile (and I noticed they're adding battlegrounds which will help).
PvE you're not going to see anything worthwhile unless you're fighting BAMs around your level or doing dungeons. Everything else is yawn-inducing unless you're a weirdo like me who sets personal challenges for not getting hit (but even then, because I know there's no risk and it's just self-imposed it's not exactly exciting compared to the 'real' fights) That said, I guess if you wanted to make it a bit more interesting you can take all your armour off, I hear you take ludicrious amounts of damage with zero armour on (I don't know if there's some kind of naked modifier or something but I'm too hung up on my image to find out :P )
Also keep in mind that anything you do to make fighting normal mobs even remotely interesting will kill your efficiency. Outside of stuff that actually hurts it's sadly always better to face tank through things.
Also, I find the mystic insanely boring compared to all the other classes but that could just be me :3
As for GW2, I think I might've found a mesmer combo that allows me to avoid taking damage in most situations but i'll need to play it more to find out for sure XD Until then, my thief armed with shortbow is the hardest to hit (attack 3 is an evade and because thieves don't have cool-downs I can spam my initiative all into this one move, spacing it with normal dodges when I need to let my initiative recharge :D )
<div align='center'><center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CAnkOOixuDo"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CAnkOOixuDo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAnkOOixuDo" target="_blank">Guild Wars 2 Combat Mod</a></div>
apparently that vid is back using an older version of the mod so the 'problems' he mentions in passing are all gone. Left click does your 'auto' attack and right click does your dodge. Camera is always in mouse look mode unless you open a panel or you can toggle with tab. I'm soooo giving this a shot XD
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10amev/combat_mode_10_released_arenanet_repond/" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment...renanet_repond/</a>
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10a0qk/official_response_clarifying_the_stance_on_mods/" target="_blank">Heres a response from ArenaNet Dev</a>:
3rd party programs ARE ALLOWED. If they don't automate, bot, alter game files, give an advantage or effect other peoples game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm interested, for sure.
EDIT: Meh, rightclick while holding shift, alt, or ctrl all cause my mouselook to turn off, guess I'll have to still use those skills manually on the keyboard.
Now the joys of not knowing what in fiddlers I'm supposed to be doing!
Hm, you sure? Guy seemed positive still:
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10amev/combat_mode_10_released_arenanet_repond/c6d40op" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment..._repond/c6d40op</a>
Haven't seen anyone say they were banned either (and other people using AutoHotKey to repeat key presses have been).
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10ecfl/anet_reply_combat_mode_is_not_allowed/c6cro44" target="_blank">http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comment...allowed/c6cro44</a>
<ul><li>Campaign has steadily worse and worse voice acting</li><li>Campaign feels so detached from the universe with the level requirements demanding you go off and grind for a few hours before coming back to this 'urgent' matter.</li><li>Solo campaign sucks. I don't know who thought being alone all the time would be fun in an MMO. I loved the synergy of classes in GW1's campaigns, and its sorely lacking</li><li>Loads of areas are broken. Broken skill challenges, broken encounters, broken spawn timers. This gets worse the higher level you go. Clearly they polished the newbie experience well, but after that its very rough.</li><li>Crafting is a massive grind to make it useful. I had hoped it would be a useful alternative to buying from stores, but instead it seems to be its own entity that requires loads of cash/time to get good at. And the only real reward is xp, because I don't need 1000 bronze hammers.</li></ul>
All that said, the first 30 levels of GW2 were great. Sylvari newbie story is great, the race is interesting, the theif is fun to play, the sylvari female voice actress is very good, massive encounters with 50+ people are great fun.
Anyone else feel similar? Does the game get better by the end?
I hope the first expansion will be Guild Wars 2: TRAHEARNE. Just to think, we could follow more of his exploits! Oh I swoon at the mere thought! I used to be a skeptic like you, but then I took a TRAHEARNE to the FACE!
Yes, everything is all right now. TRAHEARNE! All hail!
I hope the first expansion will be Guild Wars 2: TRAHEARNE. Just to think, we could follow more of his exploits! Oh I swoon at the mere thought! I used to be a skeptic like you, but then I took a TRAHEARNE to the FACE!
Yes, everything is all right now. TRAHEARNE! All hail!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Eh he is ok (level 60 right now). Since I was sylvari he has featured for a while, although I assumed he would be replaced by someone of my own race if I were another.
But yeah the personal story is ######. Whenever the main character contributes anything, its always the most obvious observations, statements or ideas. And then everyone applauds you for it. Makes me thing I am the special kid they are just patronizing.
While people help out now and again I never really see parties of people running about just other solo players which I find pretty odd given the nature of the game.
Also the first time I seen a human character next to my Norn I had a good laugh as he was what appeared to be a tiny bearded child in comparison.
Started to play a Necro, but it isn't really my play style. Ranger (played til lvl 33) feels rather underwhelming... can't really put my finger on it.
Not sure waht to try next. Engineer looks interesting, but maybe a bit too "gimmicky"?