3261

Heh. I think I’ve only seen it up once, though I may be confusing it with the Black Lion thing which is what I find perpetually down. So is Black Lion the TP which is GW2’s AH?

3262

The TP is one of the tabs on the Black Lion screen, and it’s the AH, yes.

3263

Anyone else experience the game seizing up? Game freezes for several seconds, something in my case starts working harder (video card fan I assume), screen goes black for a second, and then the game comes back. It was sort of intermittantly annoying until it started breaking a particularly difficult and time-sensitive My Story quest.

Doesn’t happen with any other game, only with GW2. I checked the video card and all my fans and they are clear of dust/debris and all seems well in there. I upgraded my ATI Radeo HD 5700 drivers from 8.961.3.0 to 8.982.0.0 (the newest non-beta drivers I think), but the issue remains. Kinda worried that there’s a system issue that may require a new card, but hoping against hope that it’s actually a game-related thing that might eventually get addressed. (Windows 7 64.)

3264

Well, video seizing issues aside, I decided to abandon my first My Story quest when it dawned on me that I’m in way over my character’s head. This is the first personal quest I’ve even considered about putting aside until I’ve leveled more.

Sylvari - Trading Trickery quest

My Sylvari thief is currently at level 12 it wasn’t until my third try before it dawned on me that I was up against a huge level gap: the baddies are all 16s and annihilate my side within seconds. Regardless of my strategy and tactics, this one is ridiculously challenging and probably hopeless until I level up some more.

3265

No freezing issues here…I have a pretty crappy video card in my laptop but I’ve had not stuttering or freezing.

Been trying all the professions, some a few times…deleted the game because I realized I will do with this game what I did with WOW…which is get alt itis and never get one character to a high level.

I then reinstalled the game, like I did numerous times with WOW, and am limiting myself to ONE guy…if I go off the path again, I will delete it for good. Now, I can explore and really get into the game…I hope.

3266

Apparently the TP is now up permanently.

I am playing a charr and really dislike it’s movement graphic, rather he walked upright. Might have to reroll another warrior as that was going toe my main unless he gets a “walk like a man” perk later on.

3267

I have the same reservation about Charr…one way to get around it is to draw your weapon. He will then walk upright, but thats only for a short while.

3268

I also ditched my charr, and for pretty much the same reason…

3269

The AH is finally up, but I still can not pick up items I bought days ago or even tried to buy this morning. Pretty frustrating.

3270

Are you picking them up at the trading post?

3271

Yes, the items show in the pick up screen, but the tab is greyed out. From looking around on various boards, this appears to be a bug a number of folks have encountered.

3272

The one time i found it up and used it, i was able to pick it up at the trade post npc. Of course it is ArenaNet so they might have broke it or, like the auction house itself, it may only work when the full moon is visible from your location…

3273

Just to clarify, I mean the trading post NPC, not just the screen.

3274

Personal taste aside, bear in mind Charr (and any other character) move slightly slower with weapon drawn. Running not only looks faster, it is faster.

3275

Aha! JM, thank you - that actually worked. Is that actually how we are supposed to pick up items, or is the O screen also supposed to work? Thanks again.

3276

That’s how it’s intended to work. Collection at trading posts.

What’s that? Core game mechanics poorly explained? In this game? No!

3277

Random thoughts after a week of play:

I am really enjoying how much variation there is in the game, even within different weapons and different builds of the same class. I found this out when I got stuck on a storyline mission, and kept dying over and over again. My necromancer just felt really squishy, and I learned to hate the Blood Fiend method of healing, where you sacrifice your Blood Fiend to recover health. My pet was dying so quickly that I was never able to use him for healing. Meanwhile, my NPC allies were going down quickly, so I had five mobs on me at once, and I just got wiped out.

So I went back to the drawing board. I picked a different heal that would actually heal for longer in an area of effect, so I could stay around my allies and get them healed too. For my 7 and 8 skills, I took one ability that would draw health directly from all enemies around me, so if I’m facing a large group I can recover more quickly. And I took another ability that reflects some incoming damage, while building up my Life Force bar more quickly, so I could jump into Death Shroud mode and be invulnerable for a short time. Oh, and I tweaked my Talent tree (I may be getting some of these terms mixed up!) so that I had more life-recovery and Life Force-generating talents.

And it worked! I went from standing back, dealing damage from afar, and trying to avoid being hit, to getting up close, popping quick heals to keep my allies alive, taking some hits to build up my Life Force, then dropping into Death Shroud mode to quickly kill off the foes right around me. It almost felt like playing an entirely different character.

I also love how the different weapons actually change your gameplay, and they actually feel like you are using the weapons. In contrast, when you switch weapons in WoW, you really only care (in general) about the damage and stats on the weapon, but the weapon type doesn’t matter. And if you are a caster, you might pick a sword with +30 spell damage, and later upgrade to a staff with +35 spell damage, but they play exactly the same, and you have the same spells each time.

With my necromancer, I was using an axe for most of the early game, and so there were a lot of distance spells as I would throw the axe and it would slash my foes for ranged damage. I didn’t really think about it too much, until I switched to the dagger. Now suddenly, I have to get close, because the main dagger attack is a close-ranged attack. Instead of doing distanced damage, I have a melee attack, a life-stealing attack, and a move that freezes my foe in place if I need to back off. It still feels like I’m playing a necromancer, but my tactics are suddenly very different.

Again, really enjoying the game! It still feels like I have a lot to learn just with my main character. I think the way they set the game up is very cool.

3278

Yes, I like how simply switching a weapon makes you feel you are playing a very different character. It takes some time to master a weapon, takes even more time to master a pair (to switch between them), takes even more to master all weapons and yet even more to master all possible combinations and use the best one in any given situation. And then add utility and elite skills.

People who complain there is not enough “character progression” do not realize that while it’s possible (and boring) to go through the entire game using only one weapon, you will be less than efficient and in some cases (when not soloing) - detrimental to your group. What works for solo farming might not work for a dungeon. Even what works for one dungeon might not work for another. Even what works with one group in some dungeon might not work in the same dungeon with another group.

It really is a beautiful system that emphasizes “player progression” over “character progression”, kind of like in Dark Souls. It’s especially visible in dungeons, where people who didn’t learn their characters fully are just trying to dps down the mobs as fast as possible and die on every pull.

3279

Or, if you’re like me, it takes some time to master carrying each weapon. I’m in WvW as a warrior and start getting plinked at by dudes on walls. “Better bust out my rifle!” I say. Wait, where is it? Dammit.

Reminds me of D&D and how I always forget to bring rope.

3280

I’m at 19 now with my main, and I’m almost creaming my pants at the thought of another leisurely 60 levels of this schizz. And I have alts!!! With totally different zones!!!

I’m discovering that here are quite a few unmapped spots here and there with some cool surprises. The game really does reward exploring and just wandering about.

And the depth - I’ve gotten past the blind, frantic button-mashing stage, and the depth of the build system and the gameplay is only just starting to sink in now. It’s really juicy :)

Fuck me, it’s a masterpiece, it really is. I thought TSW was immersive and engaging (and it is, it’s an excellent MMO - for a couple of months, until you run out of content). But this is a whole different ballgame, I really haven’t felt this excited about an MMO since my first.

And I stress I’m saying this as a convert. I didn’t like GW much, and was very wary of the hype surrounding GW2. In fact, I actually hated the screenies and wasn’t impressed with the vids. I now realize that’s because most players play on lower settings for speed. But whacked up to full, the game is a feast for the eyes. It’s like moving through living art.

Gaah, I’m just gushing now :)