User:Blackbirdx61

--Blackbirdx61 12:27, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

First off with GW2 only a few months from release I don't expect anything I post here will ever effect GW1; but if on the off chance some Dev peeks at this page and thinks I've made a constructive criticism that in some small way makes GW2 just a little better; that would be great.

== My Guild Wars Page, ==

As a casual player playing his very first MMO I hope my feedback in some small way helps GWs attract and sustain non GAMERS; I believe that GW's original intention was to provide a game casual gamers could play, but it seems to me that vision was lost in a desire to appease, appeal to the Fanatics that dominate the electronic gaming community. The folks who crunch everything down to the last possible dps, per sec, per sec, they have plenty of playgrounds it would be nice if Arena net got back to it original vision of providing a place for the rest of us.

= Things I love about Guild Wars =

1. I love the Art, the Settings, the Change Scene Slates, the Character Costumes; just amazing; I have literally hundreds of screen captures. For a lot of Artists like myself working on a project like this would be a dream job; but it's not if the vision is not there; the Dev's Vision of Tyria, and Nightfall is just amazing. Cantha, not so much ...

2. I love the Low Level cap, one of the reasons I wont be jumping right into GW2 is I understand the Level Cap has been moved up to 50; unless it become ridiculously easy to level up I cant see myself really embracing that Idea, back in the day there was a debate in the old D&D community between Gary Gygax and his supporters and what he called the Monty Hall DMs; I was a Gygax supporter, still am, I thought D&D was best played at levels 7-12 when you had enough HP to survive, but not so much that you were never really in Danger. Please don't Monty Hall GW2 leave that to WoW; but I expect I'll play GW1 till I've exhausted all possibilities; or they turn the lights out on me.

3. I love the Skills based system, and the fact that If my Lv 20 Ranger has only put 3 points into Wilderness Survival her Traps are no better than a Lv 3 Ranger who has heavily invested in Wilderness Survival. I do wish that like the Old D&D game one could invest gold, in scrolls or Codex's that allowed you a one time use of a skill you've unlocked but you might not have on our bar in that moment. Or perhaps; as we see with Henchies, slowly expanding the skill slots on the bar. 4 to Level 10; 8 at Level 16, 10 at Level 20. Perhaps allow a person to by a skill slot with 10 skill points invested, after level 20. 8 skills at a time seems just a bit too tight to me.

4. I love the combat system its smart Elegant and decisive, and I think the results are generally fair. I like the Balance of the Original classes, Warriors to Tank, Elms to Dps, Rangers to Harass the Elms, Monks to Heal everyone up. I've never played a Mesmer, so I cant speak to them; and I suspect Necro's are too powerful from watching other players, or my Henchie raise a wall of zombies that looks like the Cowboys offensive line and then racing along behind them, but overall I like the original classes.

5. I wish the Henchies would get a little love, just a simple control panel like the pets; but Hero's are cool, and Mercs even better. I've cloned a few of my Favorite Henchies till Arena net shows them some love, if ever, but I wont be holding my breath.

= Things I hate about Guild Wars =

The Guild Walls Effect
My one relentless frustration with Guild Wars is that no matter where you seem to be, you are in fact in a maze, Walls, Walls and More Walls, Physical Walls, Story line Walls, walls hiding behind walls; sometimes It's really bloody awful. It's NOT FUN; Really it is NOT FUN.

Here's a thought for GW2
WALLS Bad, Freedom good! Let your players find there own way!

== Other Gripes ==

Maps.
IMHO it would be nice if map's were Account based; why should you have to remap the same territory over and over again; in a world where a spider might drop a golden scroll somehow no one has ever heard of a Map. On the other hand I do think Map Travel is one of the best features of the game.

Item Rareity,
It is a shame item rareity is basically meaningless; Purple items are very seldom as good as the common Items I've crafted myself; even the Golds have proven disappointing that way; while they are a good source for runes and crafting materials; I very rarely find a drop I actually want to use, or keep for trade, and I've only been playing two months.

PvP/PvE
I don't much play PVP, a good friend has recently taken an interest in RA; and while I try to support my friend; I doubt I will ever share is interest; every time I log into that zone, one encounters some or other act of just unbelievable rudeness. I'm told the PVP scene is Dead, ... I can't imagine why?

Weapons and Damage:
I know if I invest 7 in Axe mastery and use a +8 Axe I'm nerfted; but I was very surprised to learn that Even if I have a plus 8 Axe mastery on a plus 8 Axe. Your still only getting 70% of listed Damage because a player has to invest attribute points in a 12 Weapon Mastery to get a 1:1 out of any given weapon.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/weapon-requirements-t10027353.html?t=10027353

http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Damage_calculation

Firstly it seems to me that a weapon mastery of 12 is a huge investment in Attribute points just to get to base line Zero; but besides that and more importantly. If I tell you I'll give you a Dollar if you give me 8 Apples, and you give me 8 Apples. If I then give you 70Cents, your quite likely to feel shortchanged; and if I reply to your surprise by saying; I did not promise to pay you in US Dollars; I'm paying you in Nerf Dollars and a Nerf Dollar is worth 70Cents; your not going to like that answer.

If a Player invests 8 Points, in his +8 Requirement 6-26 Axe; s/he expects it really is a 6- 26 Axe not a Nerfed 70% of 6-26 Axe, and While this arrangement might make good programming sense, it feels flatly disingenuous and makes terrible people sense; I very much hope you do change that in GW2.

Assassins,
To be fair I'm old enough to have inherited my uncles old "The Shadow" comics, which featured a Shadow stepping Assassin with pistols, instead of daggers, who otherwise might well have served as the model for the character in the game; I hated those too… (shame they'ld be worth a packet today.)

There is a difference between suspending ones disbelief; and putting ones disbelief in a sack and clubbing it ... for me Assassins, like "The Shadow" go way over that line; I simply can't bring myself to buy-in to that one; In the Comics "The Shadow's" shadow stepping abilities clearly and intentionally placed him on a plane where-in mere mortals could not touch him; he was after all a Noir 'Super Hero'.

In the game an assassian can move from point A to Point C without moving through point B meaning they should never be in any danger at all. They can disappear into the shadows anytime they unexpectedly find themselves in any real danger; So their armor is effectively infinite; and they gain HP just for moving!

How are these guys in any way play balanced?
Energy you say, but energy is only an issue in a fight; and as an Assassin (by design) can strike, spike, and fade away; the only time they should be out of energy is when they are safely far to the rear hiding behind other players from other assassins; who are the only characters that might threaten them while recharging their energy battery.

To my mind they are a ill conceived super class that totally unbalances the game. I know that horse is long out of the barn - and there is no putting them back; but it's my opinion for what little that's worth. It also strikes me as simply wrong that the best Melee fighters in the game are not sword wielding professionals, but dagger wielding criminals; even if they are shadow stepping Mystic Criminals.

Warrior's (are they relevant?)
I very much liked playing my Warrior, when I first started, but a year on I seldom pull up that toon. Between Assassin's flitting in and out of reality like so many demented Dr Who's; Derv's whirling about AoEing everything in sight with glorified farm tools; and Necro's racing behind walls of minions the would do the Dallas Cowboys Offensive line proud. I have to say, I cant blame other players for seeing War's as a totally nerfed NPC class not to be taken seriously as a PC option; heck how many players do You know that even have a War on their team of Hero's. Not many I'll wager, as the most common Team I'm aware of is 2Necros, 2Rits, 2 Mesmers; with the odd man being an extra Necro or Rit.

As a Player who likes the Holy Trinity of Fantasy, War, Monk, Mage; all could use some love, but the Wars should use the most; its sadly laughable that the primary staple of Fantasy Fiction; a great swordsmen is not really a serious option in this fanstasy game. If the Devs should ever fix anything it would be nice to see them fix that ..

On balance, I do think GW is a great game,
I'm very happy to have bought it; and I while I do think it could be better, I hope I've been fair in my praise and my critique.

Happy Hunting, BB.

Edited and updated.. --Blackbirdx61 18:11, 23 March 2013 (UTC)