Curse

Marvel M · Dec 03, 2006, 06:53 PM // 18:53

Hello,

IMO: Guild Wars is as hard as you want/wish it to be. It's up to you to decide how hard you want it to be. In almost all areas you can adjust the difficulty by not playing in God Mode. What I mean by this is simple. If you know that a Mission can easilly be done with a Crew of 8 (Henchies and Heroes example) then go in the mission with a group of 5 to offer yourself a Challenge.

If you know a Cookie Cutter set up will put you in a God Mode then don't use it if you want a Challenge.

This is just one way to keep the Gaming Entertaining for yourself - IMO.

Take Care..

Enchanted Warrior · Dec 03, 2006, 06:57 PM // 18:57

This is true to an extent, however some areas need fixing. For example, several places talked about in other threads are harder with each real player added to the group. I'm not mentioning which ones on purpose so this does not go drastically off track and turn into a flame fest.

Another problem is smaller groups trigger the anti-farming code and the mobs go nuts. New players may not realize this but old timers do. Prior to recent changes the game seemed slanted in the favor of elite builds, now it's like it's catering to the new player. I do not envy GW's job of trying to get the game on a steady and fair course. Sometimes I doubt it's possible.

lacasner · Dec 03, 2006, 08:28 PM // 20:28

Hmm..literally though it isn't, but since this game is instanced I would DEFINETLY like to see a difficulty setting mode before I leave a map, so that way even old areas like ascalon might be cool again!

The idea needs some tweaking, but it's not that bad. It could be, for instance, available only to people who beat the game so it doesn't mess with the core storyline. I just think it would be a good way to use this instancing system, one of the "+'s" of it. For instance, if in a normal difficultly level of ascalon (relative to a lvl 20 character) is 1, I could change it to 10 and make all the Char like lvl 30 or something. By doing this, rare item drops also increase, and the creatures could have more advanced AI.

Also, there could be more difficult sidequests, so in the end really the endgame of Guild Wars is just the beggining of things to come. This idea would make all the chapters lively again! But..any ideas on it?

crazy diamond · Dec 03, 2006, 09:14 PM // 21:14

This idea is raw and in my face!

lacasner · Dec 03, 2006, 09:26 PM // 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy diamond

This idea is raw and in my face!

Lol, does that mean you like it?

Antheus · Dec 03, 2006, 10:00 PM // 22:00

Well, this is very true.

Before NF, I went on a ritualist solo tour through Tyria. Worked really well, and was tons of fun. Missions, bonuses, all the way up to RoF. Mursaat turn out to be the showstoppers.

arcanemacabre · Dec 03, 2006, 11:21 PM // 23:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvel M

If you know that a Mission can easilly be done with a Crew of 8 (Henchies and Heroes example) then go in the mission with a group of 5 to offer yourself a Challenge.

Oh yeah, completely agree. That's how I've been playing the game since I beat Factions. As soon as I realize that a particular zone is too easy with a full group (of henchies), I drop one at a time until it's a challenge again, then I figure out a build that makes it easy again, and drop more.

It's about the only thing I loved about farming. It gave me an opportunity to try out solo builds, mostly of my own creation, to maximize the challenge. I also find myself doing the same thing in Nightfall, trying out hero builds that allow me to bring as few heroes as possible - not for drops, but for fun.

Just remember, party limit of 8 is not a requirement, it's a limit, as in 'no more than'. I love the 3 hero limit, as it almost screams 4-man build. If you find PvE too easy, make your own limits. Take starter weapons, try it with no runes, try it with less attribute points, try odd skill combos, make it challenging for yourself.

lacasner · Dec 04, 2006, 01:54 AM // 01:54

Well, I think my idea kinda solves that problem right?

Thallandor · Dec 04, 2006, 02:05 AM // 02:05

I agree with the OP. Bored complainers can go try solo GoM or GoA and quit complaining here.

arcanemacabre · Dec 04, 2006, 02:14 AM // 02:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by lacasner

Well, I think my idea kinda solves that problem right?

Well, your idea involves a lot of coding work by the devs, while the OP's idea only involves simply having the players alter their playstyle to set their own difficulty. Not that I don't like your idea, I do, just saying it would take too much programming to accomplish what we can techincally already do.

lacasner · Dec 04, 2006, 02:47 AM // 02:47

Hmm..well kind of, but with my suggestion people could go back to deserted areas and places like Tyria and Cantha would be filled with life. It just adds some variety and open-endedness, and I feel it would be one of the better ways to use instanced maps to their fullest potential.

Arkantos · Dec 04, 2006, 03:35 AM // 03:35

Doing missions with less efficent builds and fewer people doesn't sound too interesting IMO.

Shattered_Glass · Dec 04, 2006, 03:52 AM // 03:52

i actually like this idea several games i have played allow for this but only to a certain extent, like titan quest and diablo 2, and partly in half life-2

great idea but matters how far ur stretching it

Carth` · Dec 04, 2006, 04:55 AM // 04:55

Hey yeah! People are always complaining about exams in schools being too easy these days. Instead of just making the exam harder, what about this as a solution: we cut everybody's hands off before the exam! Yeah! Try telling me it's easy now.

stamenflicker · Dec 04, 2006, 05:02 AM // 05:02

You know this is exactly what I do when I'm looking for something different. I even have four or five areas to "test" whatever build is in my head. If it works there, I take out to the harder areas. This is actually very fun. With the added heroes now, I'm having even more fun. Can 4 do the job of 8 in a tough area if they are set right? Can 2 do the job of 4?

I think this thread should be nominated for something, because it's exactly what I think part of the issue with DoA truly is....

Anet doesn't have to create an area that "everytime you block or evade you take 50 damage" to make the game interesting. All that does is cheapen what they already have out.

So next time, we just get an area that "everytime you use a skill, a monk dies" zone. There will still be a few sadists out there ready to p-der-pants about how great it is. Most of us however know how to keep the game interesting between chapters and updates.

Plus Anet is so generous with content, there's a lot to do anyway.

Marvel M · Dec 04, 2006, 06:33 AM // 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carth`

Hey yeah! People are always complaining about exams in schools being too easy these days. Instead of just making the exam harder, what about this as a solution: we cut everybody's hands off before the exam! Yeah! Try telling me it's easy now.

Your comparison has nothing to do with the Idea of challenging yourself at your own pace in a game revolving around fun.

-----------------------------------------------

Lacasner: Ur idea was solid even if it does involve alot of work

Take Care

Alleji · Dec 04, 2006, 06:38 AM // 06:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by stamenflicker

So next time, we just get an area that "everytime you use a skill, a monk dies" zone. There will still be a few sadists out there ready to p-der-pants about how great it is. Most of us however know how to keep the game interesting between chapters and updates.

Rit healers ftw, I guess.

Carth` · Dec 04, 2006, 06:44 AM // 06:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvel M

Your comparison has nothing to do with the Idea of challenging yourself at your own pace in a game revolving around fun.

I was trying to make a point. Which is better? Hard content, or easy content that you make hard by limiting yourself?

I agree with what stammenflicker says though, I don't like the way Anet makes it hard. Giving you unfair disadvantages like whenever you block you take 50 damage is silly. There are other ways of making it harder, for example through the skills monsters have. Through most of Prophecies they had only 2-3 skills that didn't even work well together. In Factions we saw combinations of skills in a group that were much more effective, and it made it harder. I prefer that to just "for no reason you take 100 damage when thinking".

Jetdoc · Dec 04, 2006, 03:05 PM // 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thallandor

I agree with the OP. Bored complainers can go try solo GoM or GoA and quit complaining here.

I have been preaching this gospel for a while now.

Personally, my mantra is, for every mission, quest, Elite capture and explorable area in the game, to:

1. First try to do it solo, without henchmen. I basically have to fail it more than 10 times before I try to do it with someone else.

2. Next, try to do it with ONE other real person (usually a guildmate). I'd say 95% of the few tasks I haven't been able to solo I have been able to do with one other competent person. That includes Hell's Precipice, Thunderhead Keep, etc.

3. If that isn't able to be accomplished, join a PuG. Even though that would sound like it is easier that taking NPC's, your inability to control human players adds an additional layer of difficulty to completing the task, which is just plain more fun IMO.

4. Last, if you simply can't do 1-3 above (or can't find humans to do #2 and #3 above), use heroes/henchmen. Again, I would start with the minimum size possible, and gradually ramp yourself up to a maximum size party.

In my 17 months of playing GW, I can probably count on one hand when I've done #4. That is part of the reason that I continue to get an immense amount of enjoyment out of PvE. The above style of playing is not for everyone, but if you embrace it...I would be very surprised if you find yourself bored anytime soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkantos

Doing missions with less efficent builds and fewer people doesn't sound too interesting IMO.

At the same time, doing missions with the most efficient cookie cutter build and maximum size parties is a very easy way to complete everything and become bored with the PvE game quicker, IMO.

Apharot · Dec 04, 2006, 07:11 PM // 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchanted Warrior

This is true to an extent, however some areas need fixing. For example, several places talked about in other threads are harder with each real player added to the group. I'm not mentioning which ones on purpose so this does not go drastically off track and turn into a flame fest.

Another problem is smaller groups trigger the anti-farming code and the mobs go nuts. New players may not realize this but old timers do. Prior to recent changes the game seemed slanted in the favor of elite builds, now it's like it's catering to the new player. I do not envy GW's job of trying to get the game on a steady and fair course. Sometimes I doubt it's possible.

You're correct. There will always be someone not happy or who is affected most by the changes. I've run a MUD for 11 years and have seen as much as 39 players on at once. Not as much as GW, but a change to benefit level 1s would mess with level 30s. A change to benefit level 30s would make being a newbie very difficult. It's a tough, if not impossible, balancing act