Feedback talk:User/Arngrim/Mob Diversity

I love it! With a simple change they could cut the farming in half, and make specific professions useful in areas where they were not before. MadSkillz1o1 10:30, 19 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I also hope it gets rid of some of the "pure" builds, like a person who relies solely on minions, etc. (I fear I've beaten on MM's too much with my anecdotes) G R E E N E R  20:26, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

Not sure about the first suggestion. I would prefer people to say to me "You need [A] and [B] types of skills for the next area", than "just add your Discord/Sabway team and lets go". It would be good to actually require a balanced team (front/middle/back lines) with half a bar of your own skills, and another half with specialist skills for that area, instead of taking the same old builds everywhere. Though this would be something for (if different modes are included) Hard Mode, I would think.

I can understand the fear of being kicked if you don't have certain skills. But the reduced numbers of skills aparent in GW2 could work to an advantage, by providing specialist/utility skills early in the game as quest rewards, and/or showing players how to use them during the tutorial area(s), and ensuring their usefulness at end-game.

I really like your second suggestion for the same reasons already stated. A little less predictable ;)


 * My main concern isn't necessarily: "You need to bring skills A and B; otherwise you'll be kicked from the party." My concern goes more along the lines of: "If no one in our party brings skills A and B to counter the mobs in the next area, we'll have a very hard time."  For example, without mob diversity, a party might say, "we specifically need Aegis (for party-wide protection)," because of the large number of melee in each mob.  Instead, with mob diversity, the party can choose between Aegis or Guardian, or even both, because there is a more manageable number of melee in each mob.  Their options aren't as strict.
 * Of course, there will still be skills that "work better" or are preferred. And, an experienced group will know generally what to expect in the next area and what general skills to bring.  "This type of skills would be very useful for this next area, but not necessary."  But the key point is that they'll have multiple approaches and more flexible team builds to get them through that area efficiently.
 * And, I agree that the reduced number of total skills in GW2 will definitely help in many ways. --Arngrim 21:43, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

Well, Arngrim, shall I remove my section now? because it seems like Anet went much farther than I thought possible with the Peacekeepers ... I'm going to have to see what it's like in there soon! Oh dear, HM... I really should have done more vanquishing! G R E E N E R 17:44, 9 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Your suggestion is still valid, so I don't see a need to remove that section. But, if you want to remove it, I'm not going to stop you.  --Arngrim 19:20, 9 April 2010 (UTC)

"What they will face"
"Often groups can easily prepare for areas, knowing exactly which skills they'll face (or more importantly, what they will not face.)" All this would do is tell a group that some fraction of  would have  on their bar, and the other part(s) would have . I like it in that it would make creatures more variable, and diversity is always fun/interesting, but it possesses (practically) no difference from the current state. Now you just have to prepare for more skills, but you still know exactly what skills to prepare for; the pool is just larger. Aqua (T|C) 16:39, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
 * What if mobs had a set of set skills, and a few skills chosen at random (from a given, but wide, pool)? &mdash;  Raine Valen  [[Image:User_Raine_R.gif|19px]]  19:41, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Do people even prepare for PvE areas? Even areas that aren't a super clusterfuck of 20+ unrelated bars, like Witman's Folly (with mostly grawls and their own little combo), it's not like you look and say "hmmm, I'm tactically not gonna use conditions on the necros and put up anti-kd skills!" when you can just roll over the whole area with OP PvE skills, like every other area. -Cursed Angel File-User Cursed Angel Signature3.jpg 20:34, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

Diversity of foes rather than bars...
I'd rather see more foe types than variation of skilbars for a specific foe. One of the things I find annoying about the Peacekeepers is that they have predictable skillbars, but I can't tell which I'm confronting based on the foe name. This is even worse for The Villainy of Galrath/Hard mode's bandits. I shouldn't have to memorize a database so that I'm able to regroup during a battle. On the other hand, I strongly support your idea that there should be more variation within a mob for all the reasons you suggest.

In other words, instead of a Wind Rider mob having monk and warrior wind riders, they could include Soothing Was Wind Rider and Shielded Wind Rider; any particular mob would spawn with a variety of riders. (There are a variety of ways to do this that might mean that most rider mobs are mostly mesmers, while most PK mobs are mixed.)

I also like the challenge of confronting unbalanced groups of e.g. a dozen mesmers, a score of warriors, or a gaggle of elementalists, especially if you have to take your group past them in order to get to a dungeon. — Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 18:42, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
 * I dunno why mobs don't display their professions. That would only make sense. :\  &mdash;  Raine Valen  [[Image:User_Raine_R.gif|19px]]  19:16, 23 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Hmmn. That would be a simpler way of dealing with this. — Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 19:36, 23 May 2011 (UTC)