User talk:Regina Buenaobra/Journal/Archive Apr-Jun 2009

RE: Journal, April 8th
As long as one or the other is all polished up and ready to go, I'll live. I can't speak for everyone else, but I hope they understand too. I wasn't expecting much on the skill balance side either, a few small tweaks or so at best. &mdash; Jon    Lupen  00:19, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, definitely worth sacrificing one skill-update for a content update. I certainly would rather see the skill-update being pushed forward than the content-update :)
 * - Kherec 12:27, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Why say sorry? we knew it was unlikely to happen at the start of the month anyhow.--Justice 17:49, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * *HEADDESK* Lilondra [[Image:User_Lilondra_Sig.png|21x21px]] *panda*  21:29, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * LOL. You forgot a couple of things. 86.26.204.160 21:31, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Easter Weekend Included In Tomarow's Update?
Will the Easter weekend preps be included in tomarows update?--68.0.226.240 02:08, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Here's the Spanish translation for the journal entry, if you want to add it:
Respecto a la actualización del 9 de abril - 8 de abril de 2009

Sólo os queremos dar un toque de aviso.

Sabemos que estáis esperando algunas actualizaciones de balanceo de habilidades con la compilación de mañana. Tendremos nuestra regular compilación mensual, trayéndos vuestros Puntos de Recompensa de Torneo, cambiando las rotaciones de mapas para el MAT y actualizando el sabor del tónico del mes, pero desgraciadamente no podremos realizar cambios en habilidades.

Somos conscientes de que algunos de vosotros no os alegraréis de oír esto, pero dejad que os demos la explicación para ello, de modo que quizá comprendáis esta decisión.

Como sabréis, estamos actualmente trabajando arduamente para traeros nuestra gran actualización de abril. Y, por supuesto, grandes actualizaciones necesitan gran cantidad de pruebas y recursos. Queremos que la actualización sea una experiencia de gran calidad que podáis disfrutar plenamente, por lo que estamos dedicando mucho tiempo para probarla. Con un juego tan complejo como es Guild Wars y una actualización tan importante como es ésta, una muy rigurosa puesta a prueba es necesaria. Todo añadido y cambio tiene el potencial para afectar otras partes del juego, en ocasiones de formas inesperadas. Los cambios en habilidades también necesitan ser probados en toda su extensión, de modo que nos encontramos en una situación en la nos arriesgábamos a lanzar el balanceo de habilidades o la propia actualización de abril sin los niveles de refinamiento, consideración y comprobación que debería tener.

Tras discutirlo con los miembros de los equipos Live-Team, Garantía de Calidad, Diseño y Comunidad, hemos decidido que este mes necesitamos que el equipo se centre por completo en preparar la actualización de abril.

Rogamos disculpas por los inconvenientes que esto pueda causar, y esperamos que comprendáis el razonamiento tras estas decisión.

Here's the ownage translation of the journal entry, if you want to add it.
Disclaimer: This is a parody and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Anet in any way.

We just want to give you a rare quick heads-up. (those are rare at Anet)

We know that you're expecting some skill balance updates because the game is unplayable, gimmicky, broken, imbalanced, and stale. We have our regular monthly build, deleting your Tournament Reward Points, changing the monthly tonic, and breaking Automated Tournaments but did not bother to do any skill changes.

We are aware that the game is still going to be stale but listen up. We are spending one hour a day on the update. And of course, big updates need a lot of testing that we don't have, so we're going to take even more time. With a game as sucky as Build Wars and an update this large, we're going to add some content that will be forgotten in a few months since the skill design makes the game unplayable. Skill changes need to be fully tested so that this doesn't happen.

After discussion with Blizzard, we decided to make the fanbase wait for the next skill update even more. Go play WoW while waiting.

Your inconvenience, our vacation.

P.S. Move this somewhere else if you don't want it here.
 * Sounds about right. 67.237.238.11 06:16, 10 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You know, those translations really aren't funny anymore at all. Keep em to yourself, instead of bothering other people with it. &mdash; DarK NeSS (Contribs ) 08:30, 10 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm sorry DarKNeSS. I might have misread, but your use of "anymore" suggests that the parody translations had some element of humour in them at some point. That idea puzzles me. I don't suppose you would be able to point out where this presumed humour might have occurred? -- WarBlade 09:14, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Was it ever funny? Answer: NO | Cyan Light [[Image:User-Cyan Light sig-icon.jpg|19px]] Live! | 09:16, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * It turns out you have to be good in parody writing to make a funny parody. Funny how that works, huh?  ~Shard  [[Image:User Shard Sig Icon.png]] 09:23, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Guess I just used the wrong words, anymore didn't suggest what you thought it did, WarBlade. &mdash; DarK NeSS (Contribs ) 09:33, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * yeah just stop with the translation crap it's not funny anymore. it was a good joke shard had going but then everyone decided to do it and everyone fails -- adrin [[Image:User_adrin_ecto_sig.png]] 10:31, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * When you labour anything like that it gets... laboured. Ppl joke about the state of the game a lot and not totally without reason, but don't overdo it. 86.26.204.160 21:28, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Yepes ipit ipis nopot fupunnypy apanypymoporepe trypy sopomepethiping epelsepe. Qaletaqa 17:35, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Canny wee at least-y-bob have iet trinslyteed eento Burk-Burk-Burk fur wee furrien-ieers pleese? 86.26.56.226 17:15, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * TBH Shard failed with the original translation as well but he was first so that counts for something. I guess... 83.131.42.183 16:23, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

WHat?!?!?!
See: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832784011 pre order GW2 release 08/31/2009?!?!?!?
 * Wow. Somebody on New Egg is going to be getting some heat about this.
 * All in all, this can't be real. Stores have been known to take preorders before even they know the release date, and that is all this is. I just hoped that whoever did this was ready to have Account Payable entries on the books for many months longer than that hypothetical release date.--Ryan Galen 21:44, 29 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Indeed someone will be getting some heat for that, because if you look in the IR archive on the NCSoft website there is the Q4 2008 zipfile containting a pdf with some data concerning games that are beeing released in the future and the area that is selected for GW2 is 2010-2011 and the launch has not been determined yet. Qaletaqa 16:58, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

regarding Champion point farming
Just a wandering question, but if Champion point farming is not allowed, that constitutes the same consequences for HA fame farming right? (as in paying for fame) --69.108.172.247 00:37, 17 May 2009 (UTC)
 * There have been bans for fame selling. Report anyone you see selling fame, if you were selling fame, report yourself. Mith[[Image:User MithranArkanere Star.png]]Talk 02:27, 17 May 2009 (UTC)
 * More sarcasm please, I can't tell if you were being serious or not. As for my question, does it apply to champ point farming or overall PvP point farming?--76.202.56.27 02:51, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
 * If you 'sell' points for gold, then is a bannable offense. If you let people in you team for free, then it is not. Mith[[Image:User MithranArkanere Star.png]]Talk 09:28, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Or she's talking about how two blood spike guilds enter vs one another and one of them /resigns. Which is completely different ('organized') to actual point farming, where a team just carries a few baddies. Selket 13:43, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Everything seems to be getting later and later
Skill updates (which are in dire need), XTH points, heck, I thought monthly updates were due on the first thursday of the month, now we are settling for the third... Frosty 06:20, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * the XTH points are delayed because they're doing work on the XTH (so I would assume the TRP and the XTH are linked in some way). Monthly maintenance updates normally take place on the first Thursday, with the exception being if it's early on. I couldn't say why they didn't release it yesterday, but I would assume it's linked to the XTH work (maybe that was more important and needs to be fixed before finalising the update, idk). ~PheNaxKian [[Image:User_PheNaxKian_sig.jpg]] Talk  12:36, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Ever since Regina took over for Gaile EVERYTHING seems to be broken and take longer. I know Regina is not a programmer or anything but it's just a really bad coincidence.  I MISS GAILE......Sarge 13:54, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * WUT? Regina has absolutely no control over when anything is released. AND, Gaile is still here. Given the fact that the Community team has been cut to the bone, and as things get closer and closer for GW2, the load on them is just heavier. The Guild Wars Live team have given us more for Guild Wars this year than we have gotten outside of a new campaign/expansion ever. While they may not being doing as many skill changing updates as they once were (once a month like clockwork), what they have given us have been better than many of the ones that were done faster. I personally prefer quality over quantity, and would rather see baby steps going in a positive direction than a sprinter going the wrong way. --[[Image:User Wynthyst sig icon.png | Wyn's Talk page]] Wyn 14:11, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Also keep in mind, this is the game industry; when they tell you when something will be released, you have to assume they won't really get it out until six months later. That way, instead of being upset when it is released later than you expected, you can be pleasantly surprised when they manage to get it out five months late instead of six.  &not; Wizårdbõÿ777  ( talk ) 17:35, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The support/community relations teams have absolutely nothing to do with the dismal quality of the updates. They just announce stuff and listen to feedback. Quit bashing the support/community relations teams, they can't do anything about Build Wars. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:72.43.62.68 (talk).
 * The problem is that they also can't do their own jobs. 99.151.139.100 02:05, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That's a nasty and uncalled for comment...24.188.207.20 19:48, 18 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Wyn's correct... Sarge, the most plausible answer is generally true. 5 people were CMs before I came on board. When I came on board, it was 4. At the moment, the community team has 2 people. At the same time, we're continuing to do GW1 support while planning for GW2 and ramping up for that. Most of the studio has GW2 to focus on completely, but we're split between the two games. We are trying to get a French CM on board to replace Julien, who left last year, so that will help when that person joins the team. I'm looking forward to that day! Hopefully this gives you a bit more understanding of the demands on the community team. :-)-- Regina Buenaobra [[Image:User_Regina_Buenaobra_sig.png]] 00:20, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Still hiring...
Drats...not 1337 enough myself but did give someone the heads up about the job(s)...

Anyway's..the CM meetings sound like fun and productive. Wish we could do something (am willing to bribe with ecto's & minipets ;-) *giggles) to speed the News-about-GW2 up a bit ^^. -- S ilverleaf    Don't assume, Ask! 18:03, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
 * lol. - Auron 18:13, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Cookies? -- S ilverleaf   [[Image:User Silverleaf sig.png|Special:Contributions/Silverleaf]] Don't assume, Ask! 19:22, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, avoid neutrality. Makers DO smell good! --[[Image:User Large sig.png|talk]] Large 03:22, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

XTH
A Few players, more like half the people who made predicts! Frosty 04:30, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've heard numbers more like 5/6. 86.26.56.226 15:56, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

OMG
You really need to fix the bug with XTH, some layers are threatining to leave GW for good and join the WoW team. Someone is messing with our heads, many people want their points and arent getting them. And so, what was with the double tournament reward weekend, seeing as no one got points that weekend, was it just a joke by the Anet staff? Frankly, I'm mad. The points are my only way to make money in GW these days. I am so tired of all these delays. 174.42.151.180 04:58, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Take a chill pill! XTH not working is hardly the end of the world. There have been issues with it before, and they have always been fixed. So you get your free Zaishen Keys a little later than usual... ohnoez! Sit back, relax, take a deep breath and remember that they're working on it. If people are leaving for WoW over something as stupid as this, I'd say good riddance. :-P -- [[Image:User_Elveh_sig.png|15px]] Elv 14:28, 19 June 2009 (UTC)


 * We understand your frustrations with the system, believe me we do. The back end for XTH is extremely complicated. It was a system built into a game that wasn't originally built to support it. Because of this, unpredictability in the code happens. On the outside it looks like the same issue, because people don't get points. On the back end, the bugs that happen are often not the same. So, we do apologize for this, and we're doing what we can to try and address the issues. -- Regina Buenaobra [[Image:User_Regina_Buenaobra_sig.png]] 18:55, 19 June 2009 (UTC)


 * In how many ways can I say this? HAHAHAHAHA will have to suffice. At least attempt to come up with something credible. If Anet haven't done a credible job stabilizing the XTH backend yet then a) don't expect many of us to buy GW2 and b) your programmers truly suck.

I have many accounts and none of them got reward points yet. Please tell me I don't have to fill out a customer service report for all of them. I'd rather snap myself in the ear with a rubber band repeatedly! - SirAubrey


 * You would think that the Anet staff would stop changing all the skills and focus on XTH. But apparently, the think people care more about skill and bugs than RPs. How wrong Anet better give us double points as an apology. You don't get paid to sit and laugh at us, nor do you get paid to be dumb. How come something as trivial as this you can't fix. With these many bugs happening, how do we layers think GW2 will act? Please, fix RPs now, you really don't want eight districts of angry College students. They might raid your HQ. 174.42.173.38 02:23, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure that "putting up with rude attitudes and limitless abuse" is not a clause featured in many of the ANet staff's contracts (if at all), nor is "dealing with the playerbase's inanity, stupidity, and general ignorance". So with that in mind, please remember that many of the ANet staff, especially those not working in Community Relations, don't get paid to put up with wiki posts like yours either. For some inexplicable reason they do, though, so you might want to keep this in mind before you write another sassy comment directed at the ANet staff.
 * Regina already said that you don't have to make a support ticket for each individual account, but can include them all in one ticket. Instead of wasting everyone's time being rude, it might be a good idea to spend 5 minutes of your precious time on that single ticket and then move along and wait patiently with the rest of us for the XTH to get fixed. As for skills and bugs before XTH: yes, a large part of the playerbase cares a lot more for the game mechanics functioning properly so that we may actually play the game (what novelty!) and enjoy it. Free and additional features like the XTH that do absolutely nothing other than provide us with a bunch of ZKeys every month are strangely low on the list of priorities of people who care about the actual game.
 * The explanation of repeated XTH issues and why they are so hard to fix is in fact completely plausible, but I'm guessing that you must be absolutely clueless about all areas of programming. Not being able to fix it straight away has nothing to do with being dumb, and everything to do with a whole lot of coding that needs to be checked. I know for a fact that sometimes, despite things being coded in a way that should work, it just doesn't. I'm sure that it doesn't just happen to me- it happens to ANet and every other company in the games industry as well. If things really were as simple as you (wrongly) seem to think, every game ever published would be almost entirely free of bugs. Oh wait, they're not. Can everyone please stop QQing now? It's getting old. -- [[Image:User_Elveh_sig.png|15px]] Elv 10:40, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Seconded. I mean, "At least attempt to come up with something credible" sounds a bit bad, tbh. Whenever you add something new onto an old system there are bound to be problems where that old system assumed something would always be the case which it no longer is. I mean obviously good companies would always divine what things they're going to want to add next and leave the programming open for them, like suddenly deciding they want a XTH or more than two digits for the year... Yes it's bad that they're repeatedly failing to give people their points on time but really, you can just politely say so - these things happen and having to wait a couple of days isn't really that big a deal at all. 86.26.56.226 17:11, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * EDIT: Making link work :-) 86.26.56.226 17:17, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * "You would think that the Anet staff would stop changing all the skills and focus on XTH." You've got to be kidding? Considering how much crap they take from people screaming for skill changes, and given the fact that skill function is actually VITAL to gameplay, you think they are really going to make fixing a freebie that has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual functionality of the game their top priority? I think you need to really think about why and how you are playing the game. Considering that the XTH underwent a major backend change a month ago, and the fact it is only a monthly process I'm not at all surprised they are still experiencing some level of difficulties with it, I mean it's not something that gets tested on a daily or even weekly basis. --[[Image:User Wynthyst sig icon.png | Wyn's Talk page]] Wyn 17:22, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I was actually also going to say that (Skills > XTH) but I felt I'd written enough already :-) 86.26.56.226 18:28, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Not all of us have money up the ying-yang, so we cant just buy the Zkeys like most people. Truthfully, permas and 600/55 monks are hax in GW. Monks who spam PS and Sbond are kinda ruining the economy, look what happened to Murukai's weapons from all the CoF runs.

RE: 19 June 2009
Looking forward to it. -- Antioch 19:28, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh yeah! Freedom Bound 19:34, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I hope i'll get selected to go on the test server, I did some testing for other games so this would be a blast, because then I can contribute to a game I love :). I'm even ready to sign/agree to a Confidentiality Agreement :). [[Image:User_Qaletaqa_sig_icon.jpg]] Qaletaqa Hania  03:12, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * GARR! I just have to be 17....well, good luck to all who get it. :) --[[Image:User Wandering Traveler Sig2.png|19px]] Wandering Traveler  03:19, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, I love the idea. Mith[[Image:User MithranArkanere Star.png]]Talk 03:44, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'd enjoy being part of the process. Would be nice, but then again I'm quite critical when it comes to Arenanet so that'll probably hurt my chances.  lol  000.00.00.00  03:47, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm already thinking about tons of stuff, like how will communication be. Will there be adjustements to the chat so we can talk with eachother no matter where we are, will there be a closed forum, a wiki, an in-game bugreport system maybe. Oh can't wait to see how it all will work and I trully hope i'll get selected :). My English is probably good enough, and if it's not i'll learn some more :P. I just hope that there are no restrictions for people located outside of the U.S. [[Image:User_Qaletaqa_sig_icon.jpg]] Qaletaqa Hania  04:03, 20 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Lol by the looks of it anet will be swarmed ;). Would be nice only have 2 months to go, GL to anyone who gets it (when they post it). Dominator Matrix  04:38, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Also love the idea! I hope that my english is good enough for participating. Age is no problem ^^ I think it is a real good idea to bring the players closer to the testing of new features. The community can then see that Anet truly works on great updates and then will the moaning stop (I hope so) =) <font color="Black">| <font color="Cyan">Cyan <font color="Black">Light [[Image:User Cyan Light User-Cyan Light sig.jpg|19px]]<font color="Cyan"> Live! | 10:48, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Tbh, most English people can't speak English, let alone Americans, so I don't see that they can possibly have requirements which are all that stringent. :-) 86.26.56.226 17:03, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * ^ Speaking in English and writing in English are two different things. For those considering putting your name in the hat for testing, please don't unless you actually plan on testing.  We don't need anymore "It compiled without syntax errors, let's go live" scenarios. -Drakora 11:22, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

omgzorz
I wanna test!!! pl0x lemmeh! srsly tho try working around that age restriction, you could gain some more testers from it^^^^^^^^^^^^ - Wuhy   21:14, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Did you read the requirements ? -you need to speak and write English fluently.- <3 84.80.66.15 22:46, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Too bad I ain't 18 yet :(, but don't forget that testing isn't just playing. It's trying out a new feature over and over in different situations :) [[Image:User_Smurf_Minions_Smurf.png|18px]] Smurf Minions 07:10, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You probably will also need to be able to spot bugs, give feedback, the most fun thing to do is try and abuse game mechanics but you need to be able to explain it in detail, I also give suggestions on how to fix them. And like you said it can be really repetitive in some cases. [[Image:User_Qaletaqa_sig_icon.jpg]] Qaletaqa Hania  08:08, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The thing about testing is that you're supposed to be looking for bugs, exploitables, or unintentionally averse effect as a result of the update. --[[Image: User_Ezekial_Riddle_sig.jpg|19px|Talk]] Riddle 08:25, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That's what I was trying to say, you explained it better tho. [[Image:User_Qaletaqa_sig_icon.jpg]] Qaletaqa Hania  09:12, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah you need to see how something works in various situations compared to various other things. Also spotting OP synergies and things is good. It can get quite boring though, like doing the same fight over and over with different builds et.c. Does sound cool to be able to help the development programme (and get a sneak peak at what's going on behind the scenes) though. 86.26.56.226 16:00, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * yh, and i have plenty of time(summer ftw) now so..:P - Wuhy  [[Image:User_Wuhy_sig.jpg|18px]] 22:57, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * If you didn't break it during testing, then you haven't finished testing. If you can no longer break it during testing, give it to users to test, they will break it.  If the users can no longer break it, then it might be ready to be considered beta.  If nobody reports anything wrong during testing, then do not implement it, they are withholding secrets to exploit it when it goes live.  <-- QA preocess just improved 500% -Drakora 11:31, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Removing Heroes from HA and GvG
Has this actually been decided on, then? I know a lot of people have been suggesting it but it worries me slightly, since the time taken to get a team in HA can be quite long, and sometimes teams would like just to be able to grab a hero to fill a role and go (and certainly the only way I'm ever goingto be able to play a GvG game is with heroes :-) or henchmen). I know having better henchmen would solve this but then that seems to defeat the object of the update - if the henchmen have builds people want, like the most commonly used hero builds (e.g. Tainter, Tease et.c.), they will be just as OP, and if they don't they will be just as useless as before. Also, they will have to be updated with skill balance changes. This would also drastically slash the flexibility too (e.g. most LCs run Grasping and WaF, so you might make an LC N/E henchman, but what if your team has a UG ele in it? You might then want to take SoC and "MH!" on the nec or something, which you can't then do). Plus, you can't micro henchmen (unless that's going to be part of the update, which I doubt as it would likely be a lot of work, though it would be pretty good). 86.26.56.226 16:12, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * heroes shouldnt have been in PvP ever (except for HB ofcourse), if you just cant get enough people, there are henchmen for a reason <font color="#000000">Infested <font color="#CD0000">Hydralisk  16:28, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Henchmen with useless bars, that is. &mdash; <font color="#084961">DarK <font color="#010dfe">NeSS (<font color="#ff8a00">Contribs ) 17:39, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Hopefully the intent here is to create good viable builds for the new henchmen, but remove some of the ridiculous OP combinations. I am expecting to see our first dual-profession henchmen, finally, especially since monsters like that are abundant in EotN.  And with less build flexibility of henchmen vs. heroes, it means that you have to put more thought into your own build without relying on a hero to take that one or two extra skills you need. It also means that people will be more likely to try and get other real people to come and play, instead of just grabbing a hero and calling it a go.  After all, PvP is for Players, not AI, so making it more beneficial to bring players vs AI is a good thing.  It also seems like Anet is slowly working on bringing more focus back to PvP, so hopefully more people will become interested in it, and it will relieve the heavy dependence on AI to fill groups.  One or two AIs to fill a missing slot is ok and that's how it should be, but when half of your team is heroes who do the job better than humans, that's not right, and it's definitely not PvP.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]<font color="#000099">Rose Of Kali  17:47, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

We still want people to be able to participate in the action even if they can’t field a full team, Some people cant participate because we discriminate against players with no rank. If you have no rank you cant pug nor participate. You must find a guild, or "friends", willing to take you.--ShadowFog 12:18, 21 June 2009 (UTC)


 * You can only take 2 in HA anyway I believe. I'm just worried that it's going to be hard to get the balance right between useful but not OP. I also think that that's a lot of flexibility they're cutting out there, since you might want a henchman they have but without a skill which doesn't synergise with your build or something, and especially in HA where taking WoW and a hard res on one char, SoC and MH! on another and WaF and Grasping on another is standard, we are either going to end up with henchmen you will rarely want to use or four for every build (e.g. Tainted Warder, Tainted Command, Tainted Resto, Tainted with more Death Magic et.c.). It just seems like a pretty big (and somewhat clumsy) fix to a problem which doesn't really stem from heroes themselves - most of the time they are too stupid to be any good (they don't kite as well or manage energy et.c.), it's just that at a few things they're awesome. 86.26.56.226 12:24, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * @ShadowFog, I agree, it's hard enough to find a group which stands any chance of winning if you have no or low rank, and I think not being able to take heroes could actually scare new ppl away from high-end PvP. 86.26.56.226 12:24, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That's why you start in low-end PvP. Make friends, find good players, find a good guild, start playing with them regularly, etc.  It's ridiculous to suggest that players that are new to PvP should have easy access to high-end PvP, because they're going to fail no matter what, it's not a "talent" you're born with, you LEARN it in a progressive manner, and build some rank/reputation/friends in the process.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]<font color="#000099">Rose Of Kali  18:06, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * No, new PvPers shouldn't instantly go to HA or GvG, but they shouldn't be restricted from it because they can't find a group. Also, you can train as long as you want in low-end PvP and come out with 0 Fame, since to get it you need to play in HA and win. If you don't have a particularly active (and decent) guild, and play only casually, the only way you can get in a group and still have some chance of winning is by playing whatever the FotM gimmick is, something which some of us don't like and doesn't normally really increase your skill level anyway - and even then you won't always make it (I've seen lots of high-ranked IWAYs and even SWays. I mean, come on!). Now ANet can't change the attitudes of players, but anything which makes it harder to get in a half-way decent team can't really be a good thing imo. 86.26.56.226 18:26, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Not many "casual" players play online competitive style, in or out of GW. And you are right, Anet can't change players' attitudes, and that's the only thing holding newbies back from PvP that's outside of their control.  Competitive play is well, competitive, and nobody is going to make compromises so that someone else can come play, it's basically your eat or be eaten style.  Unfortunately, new players (like myself) get eaten like snack food, but I wouldn't expect it any other way.  If you want to play high-end PvP, you need to have a lot of time to do it, there is simply no such thing as casual high-end PvP unless you've already done it hard-core and are now "retiring" with your titles and friends still there for you if you want play occasionally.  I also don't see a solution to this, and neither does anyone here as far as I can tell, to stop whining about something that can't be fixed, some things just aren't meant to be.  Aso, low end PvP is not meant to build you rank, it's meant to build some practice and relationships, because you simply can't play PvP without having any friends to play with, PUGs don't make it very far there, unless you already have an ungodly rank to flash in people's faces and have skills at organizing a viable PUG, which is not easy to do.  The only PUGs that stand a chance are the ones made of people who already know what they're doing, hence the rank requirements, and the cookie cutter builds are simply predictable, so at least you know what the rest of your team is doing.  Thus, the only way to get into it with a newbie is to go with friends who know you better than a PUG could, because all that a PUG can see is your rank and build, that's it.  I've known people who were brand new to PvP and were taken into GvG matches just because they were friends with the better GvGers.  And that's how you get your foot in.  Now stop asking Anet to hold you hand all the way to the HA chest, you need to earn it.  There is no "I'm good at PvP even though I have 0 rank" title to convince others to take you.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]<font color="#000099">Rose Of Kali  18:35, 23 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Let teams skip maps depending on their average (or lowest? Highest?) rank.  That way, r9++ teams wouldn't roll bad teams on UW, meaning that newer players could play HA in an environment with a learning curve that isn't quite so steep.  That would allow these players to get both fame (by beating teams of similar status) and experience (of course, the map rotation would have to change to have more map objectives in the lower levels).  Finally, this would encourage more players to HA, which would make finding groups easier for lower-ranked players.  [[Image:User_Raine_R.gif|19px]]  Raine   - talk  18:49, 23 June 2009 (UTC)
 * There is such a thing as casual high-end PvP... I myself enjoy to play HA, but I don't enjoy the elitism and the difficulty of finding a group. As a guy who only plays now and then and often takes long breaks after getting sick of being kicked out of groups or failing in a PuG and having everyone rage-quit, and as a guy who doesn't like to play certain gimmick (I played SWay once 'cos I didn't like it, and though I play Prism in IWAY from time to time I try to avoid it), I now find that I'm still only r2. I agree that there's not much ANet can do about player attitudes, but they shouldn't be making things worse. Raine's suggestion is good, though - at the very least, they could take the average rank of a group and have the system attempt to pair them up with groups of similar ranks. Of course, this would still have problems since rank doesn't directly reflect skill (I got in r6/7 group today - I don't think they realised I was r2 but they never asked me so hey - and tbh they weren't all that good). Prior planning, use of vent etc all make a difference, which a system like this wouldn't be able to account for, but imo it would certainly improve things. ANet have said they've realised that not that many people play GW all day and in their sleep - many are casual players, even in PvP - so to my mind they should be looking at ways to make things easier for those people rather than harder, that's all. 86.26.56.226 10:54, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Remove NPCs from PvP all together. There is a place for NPC combat...hero battles...
 * Genius! /sarcasm  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]<font color="#000099">Rose Of Kali  15:45, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Removing heros = sadface 132.170.36.19 10:48, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

In high end pvp, heroes are easy targets... I heard some pple want to see them removed from PVE aswell... Elephant 10:56, 29 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, tbh, heroes are rarely taken into pvp anyway (except HB and a few good hero builds such as teaser, tainter etc) since they're too stupid. They don't kite from AoE very fast and stuff like that (though I've seen players not do that too, ofc) and don't prioritise targets etc. Removing them does seem like an overreaction to what seems to me to be a relatively minor problem (note I said relatively, obviously super-interrupting heroes are pretty annoying and require no player skill, but a couple of tweaks to AI or the skills themselves would probably do tbh). Ofc if they're already doing it then none of what we say here will make a difference :-). Don't remove them from PvE though, that'd be stupid. 82.12.228.1 14:23, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
 * User:Auron/Counter. Yes, this is definitely a minor problem that they're overreacting to. The vast majority of teams definitely aren't running a hero of some sort, more often than not to abuse poorly-designed AI.
 * On a more serious note, yes, I would like to see heroes tweaked instead of removed completely - but ANet has chosen to remove them instead of spend time/effort/money on reworking their AI. I applaud that change, since it's better than ignoring heroes and acting like they aren't a problem. - Auron 14:29, 3 July 2009 (UTC)
 * How up-to-date is that? And you forgot RtL. 82.13.41.163 15:11, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Weekend Curiosity
Happy Dog Day to anyone that applies! Do you guys or know someone in your office, that plays or used to play, Magic: The Gathering?--ShadowFog 12:39, 21 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I know some people do play and many have played in the past. I played one one point when M:TG was first released, but I did not play for long. -- Regina Buenaobra [[Image:User_Regina_Buenaobra_sig.png]] 00:33, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

new henchmen
This is more of an idea than a suggestion, but perhaps making 10 Henchman available to people in PvP (so GvG/HA) then making it possible to have a choice of what kind of attribute layout a henchman has.

For example having only one Ele henchman would mean only 1 attribute can be properly focused on. Whereas perhaps maybe an option to change what kind of Ele henchman you want would mean they would be more useful (perhaps a Icy Shackles water ele, SH Fire ele, Mind Shock air ele and a Sandstorm Earth ele). You could do this with pretty much every profession too:
 * Assassins could be split to Dagger heroes (maybe get them to use MS/DB right and it could be useful), and perhaps a deadly arts sin.
 * Dervishes could be split between a wounding strike dervish, and perhaps a Wind/Earth prayers dervish focused on more healing and self preservation (not much else to do though).
 * Eles as listed above.
 * Mesmers could be split between Domination (probably Energy Surge), Illusion (Shared Burden?) and Inspiration (Power Leech), and give them all a small spec in inspiration for e-manage.
 * Monks is fairly simple, Heal (Give them glimmer for the lolz), Prot (SoD for bravery) and Smite (w/e really, SoJ would be ok).
 * Necro's could be split between Death (give them a subpar Taint build!), Curses (not sure here, could potentially be best hench available) and Blood (lol Spoil Victor).
 * Paragons could be split between offensive Spear chuckers (cruel spear), commandagons (Incoming!) and Motigons (SoR or SoP). Perhaps a DA para too.
 * Rangers could be split between Beast Masters, Turrets, and maybe Condition spreaders (like the current archer henchman in HA but with barbed and make them tab 1 lol).
 * Ritualists focusing on their 3 main atts (Resto, Communing and Channeling).
 * And lastly Warriors with Axes (go go evisc), Sword (w/e) and Hammers (ERF SHAKUUUUR).

Its merely an idea but it could make henchman somewhat useful, but most likely their AI should be adapted for their specific builds so they use them well, not like current AI henchies who are like, lol follow leader and spam skills.

All the best - Frosty 14:02, 21 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Yeah I think the AI would be the thing... the henchmen might all (or some) need special AI specific to their build. For example if you make a Shock Axe hero s/he will likely just spam Shock until totally exhausted. Condition spreader (maybe IA + Apply Poison + Hunter's/Screaming, gotta give them DShot even they are super at interrupting since it's not like they're gonna prioritise) would need to attack targets almost randomly.
 * As for the builds themselves, Domination would be better as VoR, PBlock or PD, but not sure about PBlock or PD on a hero. Illusion should probably be Air of Disenchantment nowadays (or maybe Migraine). I would prefer UG to Sandstorm myself too, and probably HB (maybe WoH) over Glimmer. Possibly a PnH. However this is starting to look like a lot of builds, and if you didn't have a way of switching the henchies you could end up with a lot of them. I still think just fixing the broken bits of heroes would actualy be easier than this, especially if you plan to give them decent AI (which you should, since it would be great). 86.26.56.226 15:34, 21 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't understand how you are defining this as not a suggestion it clearly is. Anything that proposes a addition to the game is a suggestion. Due to the current licensing status, this cannot be commented on by ArenaNet staff. Please move it to your userspace, or wait until the new feedback namespace is implemented.  Thanks! --[[Image:User Wynthyst sig icon.png | Wyn's Talk page]] Wyn 16:18, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Well yeah, except to be fair they have already said they're planning on adding better henchmen, so this is more of a discussion about it (i.e. how many they'll make/need to make et.c.), though OK talking about the specific build maybe shouldn't go on here. 86.26.56.226 17:01, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That has no bearing on posting suggestion. It's plastered all over the developer pages that suggestions DO NOT BELONG, and CANNOT be commented on. --[[Image:User Wynthyst sig icon.png | Wyn's Talk page]] Wyn 18:08, 21 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Pretty much all suggestions are about something that's already in the game or has rumors about maybe being implemented some day, it's very rare that a suggestion is about something completely original, but they're all still suggestions. And if you claim that this is merely a discussion, it should be on your "discussion" page, as Regina cannot "discuss" this with you anyway.  This should be moved to Frosty's talkpage for safekeeping.  [[Image:User Rose Of Kali SIG.jpg]]<font color="#000099">Rose Of Kali  18:19, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Since regina said that they're willing to accept suggestions, would it be a good idea to make a page for the wiki where everyone could communicate about it? i dunno, seems like it would be a fun project -- adrin [[Image:User_adrin_ecto_sig.png]] 18:34, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That's currently not possible. For legal reasons, currently nothing in the wiki may host suggestions for Arena Net. Doesn't matter if Regina states that they want suggestions, it's a matter of "can't", not "don't want".Erasculio 18:41, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * What if we word them really un-suggestion-y? Like "Imagine if Wounding Strike has a slightly longer recharge... gosh, I wonder if they'll ever do that..."? OK, maybe not... 86.26.56.226 18:51, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Doesn't fly. The new feedback namespace should be up and running in less than 10 days with the new licensing terms... I don't think there is anything anyone has to suggest to ArenaNet that can't wait that long. Just be patient. --[[Image:User Wynthyst sig icon.png | Wyn's Talk page]] Wyn 19:20, 21 June 2009 (UTC)
 * True enough. To be fair to ANet, they seem to have fixed most of the most broken things in their last update, and nothing's left that hasn't been broken for long enough that it'll matter that much if it remains broken for a bit longer. 86.26.56.226 19:46, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

why waste more time creating new henchmen, just remove heroes from pvp --77.97.23.248 02:20, 23 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Because you can't always count to fill the last 1..2 gaps in the party. Heroes can do many things that are very important in PvP way faster than any human. So in order to solve that, they'll add Henchmen without the skills typically used better than humans, such as interruption or MM skills. Mith[[Image:User MithranArkanere Star.png]]Talk 08:58, 23 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You gotta consider how it hard can be to find a group in HA for those people without a guild who'll take them, loads of active friends or fame spilling out of their ears - certainly if there want to play something non-gimmicky. Imagine trying to run a build with less-used professions in it (like Paragons). I've tried it, and it can be nigh impossible to get everything you want if it isn't meta. Heroes give you a last resort if you're desperate for someone to run a build you need. 86.26.56.226 10:47, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Xunlai Tournament House - 23 June 2009
Does this mean we will not be getting our reward points until the XTH is fixed, or does this mean during the time, ArenaNet will be gradually giving the points to us? Chase Ranger 05:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, I am very glad that you guys decided to take it down while you are making repairs. It will make it much easier and faster for the team in charge to isolate and control the main problem when they don't have to keep it live. I hope the problem is simple enough that it is back within a week or two. Katherinezoltin 07:17, 27 June 2009 (UTC)
 * um yh i still dont have any points on my account >< 86.146.192.246 16:38, 1 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Because they haven't fixed it yet? [[Image:User Xelonir sig.png| ]]Xelonir 16:41, 1 July 2009 (UTC)
 * >.< well, now i feal stupid X.X 217.44.80.225 07:31, 2 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Accurately distributing points from June 18 is linked to bringing back the XTH. So unfortunately, we will not be doing point distributions until we are sure the code is correct and fixed. -- Regina Buenaobra [[Image:User_Regina_Buenaobra_sig.png]] 00:00, 4 July 2009 (UTC)