Curse

Young Hero · Sep 15, 2006, 08:18 PM // 20:18

I have pre-ordered NOTHING!
And will not buy NF (pre/game itself) untill I read reviews here on Guru and see what my friends have to say about it.

Factions is worth about 25$ for the skills and new skins.I will not buy another grind fest expansion for 50$

Forgot to mention, if the retarded NPC must survive during 19/20 main missions then this will also turn me away from NF.

Pandora's box · Sep 15, 2006, 08:59 PM // 20:59

I wait for gamers experiences before I decide to buy or not. Locked gates = no buy. And 3 successive no buys = goodbye. (did not buy Factions because of the locked gates).

Knightsaber Sith · Sep 15, 2006, 09:01 PM // 21:01

Well I'm still hoping it'll have gates; I'll buy it either way though.

Thorin Monk · Sep 16, 2006, 02:32 PM // 14:32

i hope the gates are open, and the quests dont make you backtrack through most of an area like faction did, i honestly lost the urge to play factions with the locked gate/backtracking nonsense.

KoalaMeatPie · Sep 16, 2006, 03:45 PM // 15:45

The Reason Factions Had Locked gates is to Discourage Runners, Apperently Prophecies Biggest Gameplay flaw is The Droks Run.

They wanted / want to keep the game as linear as possible and be able to access End missions faster and mess up the storyline... Like I did I Finished the Fire Islands before I even got into the desert, Killed the game for me.

So I'm deducing that the same thing will be in application for NightFall.

Phrozenflame · Sep 16, 2006, 04:40 PM // 16:40

WEll you have choice, you mde a choice not to follow the storyline but to screw up yourself, its common sense that trying a short-cut for storyline WILL mess it up, DUH.

I just loathed Factions PvE , it sucks, the game has more better pvp that got me to buy it honestly. I still spend more time in Tyria than Cantha, The missions are replayable and still have fun, in Factions I dont want to be forced by "my new chars" to do all the missions again, I already know the story, now its messing up my gameplay...this time I will wait and see how is nightfalls before I buy it.

No matter what ppl say about Factions not a flop by "showing the numbers" , its common sense that Prohpecies was way much better than Factions can ever be, most of the poeple WHO DID bought Factions was due to the reputation and trust Anet had build upon due to PROPHECIES only...The quests are same and pathetic, most people Ive met dont even care about extra quests, since we're forced to do primary ones that are so utter boring, you jusat wana get rid of them, and its true. For me Factions was a flop, but only Credibility Nightfalls has is its by the same team which made Prophecies...

KoalaMeatPie · Sep 16, 2006, 06:00 PM // 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phrozenflame

WEll you have choice, you mde a choice not to follow the storyline but to screw up yourself, its common sense that trying a short-cut for storyline WILL mess it up, DUH.

Welll *forgive* me for not knowing everything about the game the frist week.

*Free test Run to Droks* - Ok Whatever that is

Not To Mention i was stuck in Ascalon / Piken for awhile, did every quest and couldn't find the way out of there.

Sheriff · Sep 16, 2006, 06:36 PM // 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMeatPie

The Reason Factions Had Locked gates is to Discourage Runners

That's the dumbest possible excuse.

If they want to stop runners, do it so that only the player going into the town actually enters it (thus leaving the party if the rest are not within the radius)

Stockholm · Sep 16, 2006, 08:27 PM // 20:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordakai

LOL. After you've done all that, what is left to "free explore"?

In factions, not much due to the compact map size.
In prophesis there was about 60% off the map left to explore after doing all the missions, and after what I understand the map in Nightfall is a lot bigger than in factions.

ValaOfTheFens · Sep 17, 2006, 02:00 AM // 02:00

I think locked gates are a good idea...late in the game. I just crossed over to Cantha and after the 10th time or so of losing badly in that Vizunah Square I decided to skip it and come back to it later. After dying numerous times and completing various quests I got to a gate that was guarded by an official who seems to be hard of hearing. Though I'm at level 20 I'm still pretty new and Vizunah Square is only mission 3 in Cantha. It would be nice to have been eased into Cantha rather than having to face high level enemies and locked gates right off the bat. In Prophesies when I get tired of quests I can give into my wanderlust and go find new places, fight guys, and make some money. In Cantha everything seems wrong. Places with names with no outpost attached to them bother me more than the locked gates. I'm all for having to work to get to the harder missions but there needs to be something more interesting than locked gates. Remember the temple puzzles in FFX? I still have nightmares about Bevelle.

agk512 · Sep 17, 2006, 02:12 AM // 02:12

i didnt mind the locked gates. there are good things and bad things about them. if im in ascolon city and im advertising for a run to lions arch there are tons of noobs that come up to me and are asking what lions arch is and want a run, and i have to guide them into starting to do the missions and following the story line. i was lucky when i started and cought on quickly, but i was still having a ton of problems understanding what was happening all throughout prophesies. it makes me feel bad for these guys that get ran to droks on their first time thru the game and they just get confused and all screwed up and they miss out on like 13 missions. on factions there is no confusion on what is coming on and you have to complete the missions in order. they did misuse the gates a bit, but they were trying to fix some of the problems that they saw in prophesies. WHENEVER anet is going to try something different, there is going to be a group that LOVES the idea and a group that HATES the idea. so my idea on nightfall is that there is going to be some gates, but you are still going to beable to lead your own nonlinear gameplay...to an extent.

Loviatar · Sep 17, 2006, 02:18 AM // 02:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ValaOfTheFens

I think locked gates are a good idea...late in the game.

locked gates are bad at any level.

at present you are locked out at mission 3 and as far as advancing it is

*GAME OVER*

locked gates are good later you say?

think about being 3/4 through the game when you hit another locked gate mission that keeps you from the rest of the game

*GAME OVER*

i never got past mission 3 (yaeh i suck with henchies) so for me it was

*GAME OVER*

but chapter 1 is still fun and Nightfall is coming hopefully without locked gates.

wonder how many people bought Factions first, couldnt do mission 3 and went to something else when they realized it was ......

*GAME OVER*

The truth itself · Sep 17, 2006, 03:30 AM // 03:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stockholm

In factions, not much due to the compact map size.
In prophesis there was about 60% off the map left to explore after doing all the missions, and after what I understand the map in Nightfall is a lot bigger than in factions.

More like 40-50%

Try creating a character, just do the main mission and maybe a few skill quests. You'll end up with 60% explorer...

So the true meaning of 60% explorer is, "Completed the game"

jjiinx13 · Sep 17, 2006, 03:44 AM // 03:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dougal Kronik

If anyone has played through Factions with more than one character they would NOT want those cursed locked gates!!!!

I played thru Prophecies with 10+ (yes 10+) characters and carried 3 to Factions. In Prophecies I played each thru the storyline (primary quests and missions) everytime some, skipped the optional/side quests. The 3 that I carried over to factions have beat it and 1 Cantha born has beat it. I am now working on characters 5-8. 2 Cantha Born (Sin and Rit) and 2 Tyria Born. And I intend to play thru the story with each. I have no problem with the gates. But hey thats just me. To each his own.

[QUOTE=Loviatar]

Quote:

i am glad you asked that.

maybe because doing both exploring and missions is what i prefer.

or if a mission is too hard for me and my henchies it is nice to use an explorable area to bypass it for a bit and still have fun doing it later.

chapter 1 didnt have a bunch of locked gates and somehow possibly more people enjoyed chapter one than Factions.

i dont know that because Factions sales figures are impossible to find but Anet certainly is not giving figures bragging about them.

lets hope for wide open areas we all can get to

with DUNGEON SEIGE style sign posts along the entire path from mission 1 to the next so the linear mindset people CANT POSSIBLY get lost or miss a turn.

Anet has released numbers or at least the powers that be who track those things has. As of June 19 2006 ( Check this link http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3151600&did=1 ) With Prophecies Anet broke the 1 million sold mark and with Factions they topped 2 million units sold ( that is combined total not just factions). So apparently the locked gates didnt turn too many off of it.

Lady Lozza · Sep 17, 2006, 03:46 AM // 03:46

Here is the problem in Factions:
No locked gates and I'd have done Raisu and Imperial Sanctum within the first few hours. I had that problem with Prophecies, I explored, found, and conquered, and did it horribly out of order.
The locked gates of Factions were good because you couldn't accidently do what I did. I agree that they are bad because they inhibit exploration, which I love.

I think what is needed is a re-think of the locked gate situation. There needs to be a mechanism in place that prevents you doing the missions out of order, while not inhibiting exploration. In all honesty, chances are the solution will either allow some out of order mission doing, or inhibit exploration somewhat. I don't think we can have one without the other, or not easily at any rate. I think in this regard I'd prefer exploration to be inhibited a little.

At the moment what we have are two extremes. Prophecies where (not taking RoF into account) you can do the missions in any order you wish, and Factions that forces your exploration to happen in the order they dictate. Exploration should be free, mission order should not be.

Mordakai · Sep 17, 2006, 04:35 AM // 04:35

That's an interesting point. I think a compromise could be made on having missions locked, but gates not.

For those who actually like Locked Gates: did you absolutely hate the Luxon and Kurzick areas where you were pretty much free to explore and do quests as you saw fit?

That's what I'm talking about: the whole game should've been like that.

Lady Lozza · Sep 17, 2006, 04:44 AM // 04:44

Actually the reason I brought it up was because Raisu Pavillion was the first explorable area that I checked out when I got to Cantha during the headstart. Looking at the portal in the back there, and seeing the closed gate I thought to myself that that would be the last mission in the game. I was almost right

If it had not been locked I would have gone on through and done the mission and the one after that too, simply because I found them first. In short I would have finished the game before I started. This isn't quite possible with Prophecies, but as I discovered when I actually took my second character through carefully following only the primary quest, I missed a lot by not being forced to follow the quest order. All of those, "wtf" questions I had from my first run through the game were answered simply by doing it in order.

If they can lock the missions without inhibiting exploration, I'm all for it. But I won't cry too much if SOME freedom of exploration is inhibited because of needing to do mission X. I just think in Factions the restriction was too much.

unholy guardian · Sep 17, 2006, 05:03 AM // 05:03

well it could work both ways, you couldn't run in the last couple areas in the ring of fire

Thallandor · Sep 17, 2006, 05:12 AM // 05:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMeatPie

The Reason Factions Had Locked gates is to Discourage Runners, Apperently Prophecies Biggest Gameplay flaw is The Droks Run.

Sorry to burst your dream bubble, but the Droks Run was infact an intended design. Lomar Pass portal is easily removed/blocked at any one time if anet just snaped their fingers to wished it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMeatPie

They wanted / want to keep the game as linear as possible and be able to access End missions faster and mess up the storyline....

Locked gates were placed in to cover a design flaw of a smaller landmass hence artifically lengthening the game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMeatPie

Like I did I Finished the Fire Islands before I even got into the desert, Killed the game for me.

You decided to get yourself a Forge run to buy max armour and yet screwing your party members on the Fire Islands by not having the two extra 15 point attributes post ascension, and NOW you are complainting that it killed the game for you? Poor bragging IMO.

Best laugh i have for the whole day.