Why this artificial 5 person AOE limit is even in the game? Weird artificial limitations spawn weird behavior and this one is a great example. You make something work not like in “real world” and suddenly the best tactic is something that would never work in “real world”.
Games need to be careful when introducing gamey mechanics.
KevinC
4302
The 5-target cap is a very, very good thing. Zergs are bad enough as it is, but when there’s no cap on the number of targets AEs hit, it just because a complete clusterfuck of players popping instantly and really diminishes the usefulness of non-AE attacks. If the cap were removed, I’d probably see my incoming damage in a simple tower battle spike by 3x or more and I don’t even want to think about what a Keep or Castle fight would be like.
Aeek
4303
I went to get some Chocolate Cherries from the Guild Larder, and can’t withdraw from the 2nd bank tab (Treasure Trove). Oh noes, I shall starve.
People popping is a separate issue and one that obviously needs to be resolved asap.
As for your incoming damage growing 3x, maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe this will force people to spread out and attack from different angles and employ some real tactics (logical assault behavior) instead of bunching up 100 people into one square foot and hop this clump around using mesmer portals (not so logical assault behavior).
Zergs are bad now because essentially there are no anti-zerg tools thanks to this 5 man aoe limit (correct me if I am wrong but siege weapons are also limited by it, right?). The only thing that can kill a zerg is another zerg.
The more I think about this aoe limit, the less I like it.
KevinC
4305
I really think the AE limit needs to stay. “Not clumping up” is good, but doesn’t help when the enemy has a pile of arrow carts and AE-pumping classes on the walls. Those AEs are big. The AE cap is why this game doesn’t devolve into two sides staring at each other from opposing hills and unable to cross the gap like every other MMO turns into.
Honestly, I feel a big problem with the zergs is the maps are too small for the number of players they allow. I know that’s heresy to a lot of people, but really all you need to care about is the tower/fort you’re attacking/defending and the supply camp next to it and it’s really easy to just bounce back and forth between them as needed. I’d like to see supply camps generate supply that goes into a global pool at your base, but supply caravans have to be sent out from your team’s “main spawn”. Stretching supply lines should be a problem (especially for a dominant team pushing far into enemy territory as it’s a long vulnerable supply line that’s slow to supply your forward advance) and force you to control the roads and territory leading up to your objective, which would pull more players away from a blob if they expect to accomplish anything. It’s way too easy, strategically, for people to clump right now.
I guess what I’m saying is, I’d like to see them address the Zerg strategically, not tactically. The strategic aspect of WvW has a lot of promise but it’s not living up to it’s potential at the moment.
Phred
4306
Reldan
4307
The Treasure Trove is intended to be used for higher brow gear, not the “penny jar” style stuff the main tab holds. Currently only officers can withdraw from the Treasure Trove.
I would expect consumables and food would make the most sense to be held in the main bank tab for easy access to everybody.
Reldan
4308
The 5-man limit came about because Arrow Carts (among other things, like Ele’s) otherwise made attempts to breach doors impossible. AoE is already quite strong in WvW, but without a limitation it just dominates to the exclusion of all else.
I agree zerg-clumping as a tactic is not a desirable outcome, but removal of the 5-man limit has other ramifications that are as bad if not worse.
Timex
4309
In some ways, certain things like arrow carts having a limited number of targets makes sense. They aren’t putting an infinite layer of arrows down on an area, permeating everything in that region. They are shooting X number of arrows into the area.
Although perhaps part of the problem isn’t so much that AOE could otherwise kill too many people in one area, but rather that there’s really no reason why more than X number of people should even be able to occupy that area.
Aeek
4310
It was the other way round. The second tab was mostly food, including the L30 treats that I was after.
Aeek
4311
It was the other way round. Almost all the food was in the second tab, including the L30 treats that I was after.
Yes, QTT Guild and given we are being encouraged to eat it, how you(Reldan) suggest makes more sense.
Reldan
4312
I may have got my forums confused then when I replied - I’m a GM of BFF, are you talking about the QT3 guild? If so, I have no idea how the guild bank/trove is intended to work and you should disregard my comment.
EDIT: nevermind - didn’t read the follow up posts.
Aeek
4314
These last 2 patches, my Mesmer’s clones have been graphicly bugged.
1st, sometimes one or two were staying around briefly after conbat finished.
Now they disappear leaving FOUR horizontal sceptres floating at waist height,
shortly to disappear.
(yay, yummy treats accessable)
So it’s been one week since I startred playing Guild Wars 2 and my initial sense of being overwhelmed by the game has faded into a generally satisfied sense of entertainment with a hint of still not understanding exactly what the hell is going on at all times. Bottom line though is that I am enjoying it.
I’m not completely sold on the “quest” system of heart challenges and world events. I want to love it, seriously, as it’s a very cool idea and I get a little excited chill every time I hear the chime and see the announcement that an event is starting nearby. That said, events can be far too chaotic. I was exploring around the fringes of the Frozen Maw for example when suddenly I got the chime and about 20 player characters rushed into my area beating down everything in sight. Seeing it was a world group event I joined in, but had no idea what the hell was going on. The little description only told me what to do, not why or where or for whom. At the end I killed dozens of things, destroyed a ton of corrupted ice, and helped lay a beatdown on some uber-boss Son of Svanir while dying and being revived a couple of times. I earned a GOLD participation level, and got to snag some nice goodies out of a chest that spawned at the end. It was fun, but it would be a lot MORE fun if I had known the story behind the event.
I’m also struggling a bit with skills and traits. I have lots of skill points that I spend on things that look helpful, and so far that’s working out OK, but it’s difficult to tell which skills are worthwhile and which are less so. It’s also tough to tell what works well together, and combat is so chaotic that experimentation isn’t really helping much. I guess I could go back to a lower level area and try various combos without fear of being killed in the process. Traits seem simple at first, but after investing 3 points in one trait I discovered that the bottom trait was unique to my class (Virtues) and that I should have been investing in that all along. Is there wa way to respec traits? It’s not obvious if there is.
I’ve dabbled in crafting and the auction house, and both are very well designed. I love that you can experiement to discover new crafting recipes, and I really like how the auction house makes it easy to unload loot from anywhere. I have not tried PvP or WvW yet, as I’m only level 14 and still trying to learn the ins and outs of surviving group combat against challenging opponents. I have to keep reminding myself to dodge!
So far it’s fun though. Seems like most of the QT3 gang is fairly high level from the guild chatter, so I’ll be on my own for awhile. Kael Darkstar is my Norn Guardian, he’s my only current character. In a nod to the games appeal, my 13-year-old son (an avowed Xbox gamer) has become infatuated with the game since watching me play the first night. He now has two characters on my account, a Charr Warrior and an Asura Elementalist, and is completely addicted. Well done NCSoft, well done.
Claycw
4316
So is it ehmry Bay that the QT3 Guild is on? and who do you request an invite from?
mystery
4317
That particular event was the culmination of (I think) 5 prior events in that zone. If you followed the events from the beginning, it would make sense – but the game allows you to jump in at any point. If you hang out in that area for a decent amount of time, you’ll eventually spot the beginning of the series, and you can take part in each step as you go along.
Derbain
4318
Ehmry Bay is indeed the server.
Check the top of this thread for details on how to join.
Reldan
4319
The easy solution to this is to hit the “Go to the Mists” button where you can play around and try out and see what the different skills and traits do in an no-pressure environment with unlimited free respecs and access to anything you need.
If you’re in the normal world or in WvW there the same trainers that sell you the Trait books should be able to respec you for a cost.
Suffice to say that’s almost always in there, but it’s not a block of text like it would be in other MMOs. If you want motivations and backstories, if you want to see the whys and wherefores, stick around, listen to the NPCs, and follow the chained event. Guild Wars 2 will almost certainly reward you.
-Tom
