Curse

Fril Estelin · Jan 04, 2008, 10:44 AM // 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by okashii

Im one of the ppl that think it was a bad surprise

Well, according to Gaile's statements, some people already spotted it a while ago by looking inside the GW data file. It was there, simply not activated.

An example from 5 months ago:
http://guildwars.incgamers.com/forum.../t-457862.html
last line: yakslappin on 29-07-2007

Also on GWG 5 months ago:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/a...-10178314.html
(Xitoahc on 07-19-2007)

I'm wandering if people QQing here think the same about the Ceratadon minipet given away by MMO Zine online (which was flooded to the point where the server was non-responsive; this lasted for a few days IIRC and some people would get several of them to give away for their friends or sell...how fair is that?). Or is it simply a case of greed that makes people say things they wouldn't say usually? Let's hope so.

okashii · Jan 04, 2008, 10:54 AM // 10:54

Ceratadon was very easy to buy from other players :/

For me its not greed but disappointment that I couldnt get one for my gf :/
I know how happy I could make her by getting one for her...
and I didnt have proper chances to get one because if it wasnt for Witchblade I wouldnt even know about it...I only managed to make a few runs and with no luck, Im sure many ppl did way more than me and still didnt get one so thats what most ppl got instead of a nice surprise - a lot of disappointment...

Fril Estelin · Jan 04, 2008, 11:08 AM // 11:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by okashii

Ceratadon was very easy to buy from other players :/

It took me no effort at all to get it. I even got one for a friend that could not connect. I could have harvested a few more for selling at 15k for no more efforts than standing in Kamadan on January 1st at pre-determined time.

How is that fair? Why aren't people QQing and shouting about this?

Quote:

For me its not greed but disappointment that I couldnt get one for my gf :/
I know how happy I could make her by getting one for her...

I'm sorry for that. Being a fan of Philipp Pullman's The Golden Compass, I too would have liked to have a bear and offer it to my wife. But I'll leave with the fact I didn't get one and won't blame anyone. It's only a game and I'll find plenty of things to enjoy, without spending too much time on the things that I couldn't get.

Quote:

still didnt get one so thats what most ppl got instead of a nice surprise - a lot of disappointment...

People were disappointed because they've put their expectations too high on this one. We got tons of alcohol. sweets, candycanes, snowball fights and more during 10 days of Wintersday. And all of that is suddenly gone like snow metling in a matter of hours because of this simple fact? Some people have made the snow melt by simply transforming a flame into a fire IMHO.

Numa Pompilius · Jan 04, 2008, 11:14 AM // 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmakinen

I don't really follow the logic behind the approach ANet has taken here. An ultra-rare minipet as a random gift from a totally mundane no-skill-whatsoever-required solo quest? That's like if one random player out of million got ten stacks of ecto by completing 'War Preparations' (the first quest in pre-searing if you don't recognize), it's just plain silly.

While I sympathize with your view, that's not really different than giving random minipets as birthday presents, or giving out promotion minipets with magazines: skill is never a factor in obtaining minipets, and, with the exception of the moa chick, effort only incidentally so.

However, if ANet wanted to reward the playerbase, giving out a microscopic number of minipets is not the best way to do it because rewarding ten random people isn't really "rewarding the playerbase" at all. The "minipig surprise" way was much better, but not a good way of doing it either, mainly because it was a surprise and because being rewarded for being AFK isn't really very rewarding.
Instead, they should've made the minipet craftable via a series of wintersday quests, so that everyone who wanted it could get it, and could get it by participating in the wintersday quests.

The bear would not have been rare, but only farmers care if an item is rare or not anyway.

mcsumo · Jan 04, 2008, 11:15 AM // 11:15

I have said on another thread that I think is the latest in a long line of mistakes. I won't go into all that again. But another thought that has come to me is how two-faced Anet are. They make changes to ensure 'fairness' to everyone. I can't remember the exact details now, but there was another discussion about campaign specific advantages.

How is this fair? To Factions only players it isn't fair. To those who tried the snowball quests but didn't really like them it isn't fair. To those who did try the snowball quests many times and got no reward it isn't fair. Did Witchblade pay more for his/her game than me? No. Is he/she a better player than me? Maybe but in this context no. Then why am I suddenly even more incredibly poor in comparison?

It would be better if the minis gained through these methods were customised to the character that gained them. Then they would be very cool and nice, something to envy and wish/strive for. But as it stands they are a blank cheque. The owner can sell them if they wish and get just about anything else they want in the game. In the process pushing prices of 'elite' items even further beyond the reach of the average player.

The roller-beetle mini was another bloody stupid idea. You won it for playing a racing game. If I wanted to play bloody racing games I wouldn't have bought an MMO/CORPG or whatever the hell you want to call it. BUT at least you actually had to do something for that. Although it was still unfair to those with slower connections or those unable to play much at that time to practice.

These win a mini competitions they are doing? BLOODY STUPID! Why does someone get their name pulled out of a hat and suddenly have more money than I will ever have in the game? Made even worse by the fact that I am in Europe so therefore can't enter.

The magazine minis? BLOODY STUPID! I am a single father, with a 4 yr old son. I really can't work because of where I live. Childcare costs and rents and cost of living are bad. I am not complaining about that, I love my son and my life. BUT £6 is a lot for me to spend on a magazine only to find I haven't got a mini. Is the person that bought the Vizu mag a better player than me? Have they 'supported' Anet more with their purchases? NO! In fact probably less, on a pro rata cost to available funds basis. I actually have to save up to buy campaigns/expansions.

Rewards in game should be related to in game activities. Not just being lucky enough to get that drop. The Moa was perfect and is my favourite mini. More quests along those lines with the very best pets only going to those who have all 3 campaigns and have to do a whole load of stuff to get it.... that is the way forward....not this shit.

Encourage people to buy campaigns they don't have, encourage people to group up (maybe these quests could require all human players?), encourage people to think that what their character does in this fantasy world directly affects their 'success'.

DO NOT discourage people and make them think that there are the haves and have nots and they just aren't lucky enough to be a have. That is too much like real life and not why people play games.

Hailfall · Jan 04, 2008, 11:24 AM // 11:24

I'm usually am not one who will respond to these kind of things but after reading Gailes response i just had to, it annoys me that we get a mini (i mean.. someone gets a mini) that was, according to Gaile first, a rumor and then confirmed that they did indeed drop.. But when do we get said confirmation? On the last day of the event!

It kinda annoys me.. I am one for collecting minis on base of cuteness, not on base of 'worth a lot'.. there is a reason i have some minis because of that. And the polar bear? That's just adorable, but because of the fact that it is a 'random' drop out of a chest that only appears at the end of a quest thats only doable once a year without a warning beforehand, i will never be able to get it. That's my luck and i know it. Not to mention i will never be able to afford it, unless as someone else stated they maybe get duped, so yeah maybe in another lifetime for me as well.

An member in my alliance did that quest close to 300 times (probably 400 after she heard about the mini) and she got nothing.. That says something about the droprate.

I hope that Anet will realise that a lot of people are complaining about this and fix it, extend the event and fix the droprate maybe? So anyone can have a fair chance of getting one. Or make it something you can collect trough, lets say candycane shards.. THAT will be a good option as well.. but of course doing it the way trough the chest, it will make it exclusive and only those that have a lot of money (either duped or not) or very lucky will profit from that.

yeah gg Anet, this really pissed me off.

Fril Estelin · Jan 04, 2008, 11:52 AM // 11:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hailfall

So anyone can have a fair chance of getting one.

What do you think of getting more constructive here? Shall we make a decision on what a "fair chance" is? 1 out of 100? 400? 1000? How does this compare to the gold rollerbeetle for the 100 most skilled player at Rollerbeetle Racing? Or the panda and temple guardians acquired by top competitive players in Asia? (btw, no forced anyone to buy the magazines with the pet, if the urge to get a minipet was so big to damage your finances, you should actually stop playing GW as it is not healthy -> reference to 2 posts above)

Shall we then proceed to list the things we want so that Anet has a clear todo list to satisfy us? I read on this thread someone wanted a Vizu, someone else wanted an panda. Many people will want FoW armor, so ectos should be cheap. And the free treasures, I guess you'd agree they should increase their source of gold, shouldn't they?

What else? Oh, let's not forget one of the most requested feature here: tell us the details of all the surprises they are preparing for us, so that we don't get disappointed, which would be bad for a no-monthly-fee game that we paid with our hard-gained money that we won't spend on our children's inheritance (a funny quote from an invester called Theo Paphitis on the BBC show The Dragon's Den

).

Ok, this is xmas late guys, go on and state exactly what you want. Gaile will start programming it into the game and I'm sure she'll PM you personnally to tell you when it's done. I mean, we're all expecting this from a no-monthly-fee game that we paid, right?

Tom Swift · Jan 04, 2008, 12:26 PM // 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaile Gray

Forgive me. I've read just four pages, but I can't stomach any more. I will try to provide a few answers or a bit of information in response to your comments.

Too bad - ANet created the situations mentioned here first by giving bad information then by removing an NPC even while the item that NPC was collecting was still falling - if you can't handle the results quit the job. No sympathy here whatsoever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaile Gray

No, the actual core event ended about 12:45 AM Pacific on the 2nd, after the final Grenth vs. Dwayna battle. What you have now are the festival decorations, but the event has actually concluded.

I think you're recalling the Dragon Festival, yes.

And most other festivals. AT Halloween etc the things the collectors need are things that can be used throughout the year - roots and carvings etc. As far as I can recall only wintersday and dragon fest require something that is not normally used. In each case they remained for some time. Something you have obviously forgotten was that the gift giver did not even appear until after the last event last year. "Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007: After the last finale Wintersday Gift Givers appeared in Ascalon City, Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Kamadan and Great Temple of Balthazar." So unless you were planning to leave him for only 24 hours last year it seemed obvious he would have stuck around after wintersday had wintersday not been extended. It was reasonable to assume it would be the same this year - especially WITH SHARDS STILL DROPPING AFTER THE EVENT ENDED.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaile Gray

And I will say something about the Miniature Polar Bear. This was intended as a surprise, a bonus, a gift from the design team, if you will. No, we did not tell you chapter and verse on the new pet, any more than we tell you a walk-through on every mission in the game. I was not told about it, and the designer wrote an apology about that. I would not have sad straight out "There are no minis" if I had known, of course! On the other hand, even if I had been told, I would have waited until the mini was claimed by someone to confirm its existence. Please understand: We share a lot of information, as much or more than any other company. But this sort of thing does not involve information to which you have some sort of entitlement. If the designers want to add a special treat, they will. We did not talk about the Zaishen Chest in advance; we don't talk about all the gifts it endows even now. We didn't forecast reconnects, in detail, until they were unveiled. We slipped in the DAW Weapons from the first contest without fanfare. We may do that same with the 2007 items. And we are working on another few treats that we're just not talking about yet.

While some will complain, "I want to know everything, you owe me that information," the fact is, the designer want to add surprises, and spelling out every nuance in a product page, or giving the details in an events page totally takes away the mystery, the excitement, and the joy of discovery.

Some people like to look at, shake, rattle, even peek under the wrapping page of every gift under the Christmas tree. Most of us like to wait, knowing there could be cool surprises inside of the packages. I think the PB is an entirely cool addition to the game, and I encourage you to consider it in that light.

This is about the lowest you have ever gone. OK - there was a mix up in communication at your end - too bad.

But how dare you blame the community?

Few of us have claimed you owe us all information. Even when asked you do not have to answer. How dare you lay the blame for this on people asking for info. We do not expect you to tell us every little thing even when we ask. But we DO NOT DESERVE TO BE LIED TO!!!! (and whether it was by intention or accident we were indeed LIED TO). Some people looking in the dat file is no excuse for giving the rest of us false information. If you don't know an answer then do not respond or just say "I DON'T KNOW" or "I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION." See how easy that is to type. Try it sometime, it might be useful in your job. But how dare you excuse your ineptitude by blaming us for wanting information. Apparently it is now OK for you to give out false info because we are curious. Stop blaming players for you company's stupidity.

Somewhere you said you didn't think we wanted the bear to be like the pig. So, because the community doesn't like one extreme you think we would like the other? Where is that logic? The bear was a bad - very bad - ultra bad decision and shows just how out of touch with your players you people are. Who in their right minds would actually think that adding an ultra rare mini to a limited holiday even would be a nice surprise for the players (other than the half dozen who got them?) Yes it is always a lovely Christmas when everyone in the family gets a sweater except your brother who gets a brand new car. Then finding out you have 24 to work your tail off and there will be an almost hopeless, impossible chance or so for you to get a car too. And then, when you complain, you get told: "you should be happy with your lovely sweater. we didn't have to give that to you. It was out of the generosity of our hearts." Situations like that should only happen in Cinderella - but apparently they happen in the minds of developers too.

Thanks ANet - it is always fun game in which the players are treated like crap and then blamed for it.

The other surprises you mention? If they will be handled in the same way as this one - keep them.

And in case you didn't get enough enjoyment from watching discourage players work desperately for something they stood no chance of gaining, I got puppy for Christmas, I could bring him by and you could all take turns kicking him around.

DarkGanni · Jan 04, 2008, 12:54 PM // 12:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by leprekan

Not the best attitude to get people to keep handing over their money for new products. Understandable reaction .. yet still counterproductive.

Putting minis in the game that 99.999999999999999% of your player base will NEVER be able to have is brilliant! What kind of reaction did you really expect? People are sick of not even being able to get a panda now the polar bear is launched for 10 people or less.

You guys go OUT of your way to make weapon skins common to the point they are worthless. Then put minis in the game in such absurdly low numbers that they inspire Ebay purchases. Sorry my IQ of 142 is having a difficult time grasping the sense in that.

Perfectly agreed with all you said there, Putting a new minipet that will sell for lots was a bad idea, had preferred a minipet for all players like the minipig event. Final words - Mini Grinding bear was a very bad idea.

Tamuril elansar · Jan 04, 2008, 12:54 PM // 12:54

/notsigned, dont see a reason to

tmakinen · Jan 04, 2008, 01:19 PM // 13:19

I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning behind the mini bear. The only distant analogy that I can think of is an amusement park that as a publicity stunt gives each millionth visitor a lifelong free pass to the entire park. Those that didn't win still get what they paid for and everybody is happy, right?

Not right. First of all, the motivation is wrong. The free pass entices new customers to make the purchase in hope of being the winning person. The mini bear will not entice anybody to buy a single new license of GW since it was stated that it's not available any more. Do you really believe that people buy something now for a benefit that they might get in a year's time?

The more important thing is, polar bears have zero production and maintenance cost. Ten million minibears are just as expensive for ANet to implement as a single one. If the amusement park gave a free pass to every visitor it would go bankrupt on the first business day. However, if company A could provide service B to all its customers at absolutely no extra cost, and that service would make most customers very happy, but it only decided to provide it to two random customers out of one million, I would have some serious questions to the CEO of that company. It's like if your ISP could provide gigabit connection to every household at no expense but it 'thanked' it's loyal customer base by upgrading just two connections while the rest 999.998 will keep rejoicing their dialup

bhavv · Jan 04, 2008, 01:30 PM // 13:30

Replying to frill estein, firstly there were hundreds of mini ceratadons and rollerbeetles given out when those pets were available, not just 10.

I did rollerbeetle racing everyday but didnt make the ladder. I didnt complain about not getting a rollerbeetle, I tried, I failed, my fault.

Now with the PB on the other hand, me as well as 99.9999% of the comunity had around 10-20 hours to try and get one.

If we had been aware of it from the start and had been able to use all 12 days to try and get one, there would be a lot fewer complaints an there would have been hundreds found. But thats not the case, there are around 10 people in the whole game who have a PB, compared to hundreds of rollerbeetles and ceratadons.

And in a less polite manner, I would like to ask you to GTFO of this thread because your posts are nausea inducingly retarded.

dunky_g · Jan 04, 2008, 01:52 PM // 13:52

I hate events, all people do is complain about them. not like a-net have to do them, so less QQ and try and play the game

raven214 · Jan 04, 2008, 01:52 PM // 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin

It's been suggested before I am sure but the obvious solution isn't to extend wintersday but to have these festivals shortly before or after the holiday we associate with them.

So Wintersday would finish the week Before Christmas or begin the week after the new year.
ditto for Canthan New year and Haloween etc.

There must be many people who want to spend time with their friends and families not to mention parents who see it as unreasonable for their offspring to spend all of the holiday gaming.

Its a fantasy game so why not holidays based accordingly.

/agree

It would definitely be something worth considering.. kinda hard to plop down at the computer when you're driving around visiting family all day.

Big_Iron · Jan 04, 2008, 02:31 PM // 14:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by leprekan

Not the best attitude to get people to keep handing over their money for new products. Understandable reaction .. yet still counterproductive.

Putting minis in the game that 99.999999999999999% of your player base will NEVER be able to have is brilliant! What kind of reaction did you really expect? People are sick of not even being able to get a panda now the polar bear is launched for 10 people or less.

You guys go OUT of your way to make weapon skins common to the point they are worthless. Then put minis in the game in such absurdly low numbers that they inspire Ebay purchases. Sorry my IQ of 142 is having a difficult time grasping the sense in that.

You sir, are my hero. Close the thread! This says it all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavv

If we had been aware of it from the start and had been able to use all 12 days to try and get one, there would be a lot fewer complaints an there would have been hundreds found. But thats not the case, there are around 10 people in the whole game who have a PB, compared to hundreds of rollerbeetles and ceratadons.

QFT. I did this quest once at the beginning and didn't go back until I heard about the mini-PB.

quickmonty · Jan 04, 2008, 02:34 PM // 14:34

Note to ANET: Cancel all future events so people won't get so angry about things like this.

bhavv · Jan 04, 2008, 02:45 PM // 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by quickmonty

Note to ANET: Cancel all future events so people won't get so angry about things like this.

Thats a good idea. /sarcasm

1) They ask the comunity to design festival hats and butcher the winning design

2) They make an exclusive mini pet so hard to get that only about 10 people got one, then they say 'This was a hidden pressie for YOU ALL'. Yea because 10 people in the whole game make up the full community.

3) They remove the CCS traders far too early. There are thousands of people that had stacks of CCS and were grinding the MPB quests, and had the rift warden and wintersday gift giver removed while they were INSIDE THE MISSION

They didnt get a chance to cash in their CCS.

People that dont have a problem with any of this are A-nets butt sniffing + licking slaves that praise everything they do without seeing the wrong of it and how it affects other players.

But really, they may as well have not bothered with this event at all since they fudged it up so much. It would have been far better.

Quaboag · Jan 04, 2008, 03:25 PM // 15:25

C'mon folks, a little maturity here please! (No, I'm not talking to everyone... you know who you are!)

After spending several hours on the tail end of Wintersday farming for that cute little mini I was disappointed to be rewarded only with booze and candy. But I just read about a listeria outbreak in my area that killed two people and caused a woman to miscarry. I just can't bring myself to be that upset about not getting my polar bear.

We have every right to criticize and opinionize about the game. Anet wants the feedback. If they didn't, they wouldn't be reading this thread. My thoughts? The cc shard collector should be there an extra week. The polar bear should be less rare. The ice crown should be more ice-like and not look like gray stone. The candy cane weapons shouldn't be so useless.

I did this without making any insulting remarks, and without calling anyone names or making any baseless accusations about Anet's motives or competency. Anet's doing a great job. It's not perfect.... and they do screw up (like we all do from time to time), but that's why they read these boards, and I haven't seen any evidence that they aren't doing the best they can with what they've got.

They repeated the Dragon Festival due to the lag issues. They may do the same with Wintersday if we speak up and voice our complaints.

But if I worked at Anet anyone who talked to me like child would get treated like a child, and their complaint tossed into the bit bucket. I'm sure Anet is more professional than that. Still.... manners help, yes??

ReSpAwNeD · Jan 04, 2008, 03:28 PM // 15:28

I loved Wintersday, always have, always will. I have enjoyed every event they have come up with. It has always been fun. Anet make some highly noticeable and undesireable choices sometimes. I have never had a reason to complain about an event until now.

Why?

They can make an Amethyst Aegis all glittering and sparkling and a Tormented Shied quite desireable to the eye but they make a hat made of ice a top your head look like granite shards. Why? I have to wonder how disappointed the original artist feels about it.

I have 42 mini pets. I have every single mini in game except for the ultra-rare. My collection does include Mallyx though. I don't sell my minis to get insta rich. I will never sell my mini's. I have been flamed for this... I don't know why, don't care. A Polar Bear that was supposed to be accessible to all for doing a quest that I did 100+ times BEFORE I even knew it existed was really only available to < 10 ? I am not QQing because I am not the proud owner of a Kanaxi or Vizu, Panda or Beetle. I signed up for the Mini Mania, still nothing out of that for me. I entered the Halloween contest. I know those are my only hopes and chances at the Ultra-rare Mini's. I even HA from time to time.

We were AWARE that there would be a 'special' reward for winning the Beetle races. They said as much. I chose not to do it. There was a ladder I couldn't obtain a slot on. I didn't stomp my feet and say it was unfair. I'd follow it around town in total awe thinking these people were soooo lucky and I should have practiced it more and one COULD have been MINE! In my dreams!

Collecting pets and other items in game are goals for me. As much as obtaining maxed titles and the like. I'm QQing because the drop rate on that bear was rediculously low and I don't have 1000 armbraces to buy one.

And there's still snow in the main cities why? To add insult to injury? Rip away the NPC's (I turned my shards in the whole time in fear I'd miss the opportunity), say maybe next year for the Mini-Polar Bear, extend the chance to obtain the awful hats, and LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!

QQ

Shanaeri Rynale · Jan 04, 2008, 03:47 PM // 15:47

Gaile can only tell people what she is told, or what she is told she can tell. So Anet did NOT lie to people, they just badly communicated.

Getting rid of the NPC's while still letting Candy card shards drop was simply just silly. Why not stop CCS dropping, then notify people when the NPC's will go? Thats just common sense, but also boils down to a lack of communication.

As to if the wintersday was a let down or not, thats a personal thing. I thought it was fun, and gave me a chance to catch up with some old friends.

Adding mutli part quests is a way better idea than one in a billion chances of dropping a rare item. HOWEVER this requires effort and therefore money to program;money and effort that Anet may not wish to spend. That is their call and their buisness decision.

It certainly does feel as tho GW1 is being ran by a skeleton crew sometimes, making us live on the bare minimum as they race against time(their revenue will decline as less people buy GW1) to complete GW2.

I've been trying to think of an analogy to put what I mean. It's like GW1 is a car. When it's new you service it, wax it every day and give a smile when you park it. It's YOUR new car and you are proud of it.

Now the car is 3 years old, you still service it, make sure it wont break on you or fail in anyway. But now the paint is fading a little, the wheels have been kerbed some and you have stopped polishing it, only giving it a wash when people complain that it's dirty. You also know you are getting a new one soon, so you no longer smile as you leave it parked. It's just your car, while you wait for a new one. That is how I feel GW1 seems to be to Anet

I guess the issue is, will the amount of bad will generated by this bare minimum approach cause Anet difficulty later on. tbh I'm not sure, but I do know Anet will have thought of that.

I was in favor of a zero monthly cost model, but if it makes GW2 supportable with new content and the attention GW1 got in 2005-2006 I would pay a nominal amount(say 1-2 dollars PM or a gameplay unaffecting microtransaction model) to help this.

End of ramblings...