Curse

Manderlock · May 18, 2005, 01:33 PM // 13:33

Romac it only takes common sence to get through the later missions.

If you are complaining about that, its plain pathetic.

Jackell · May 18, 2005, 02:15 PM // 14:15

Like has been said before, Grind is doing the same thing over and over for 1% of a level.

Not doing it over and over and over because you can't beat the mission.

And yes, a 3 page thread is going to catch their attention. They'll look at it, and see that your argument is just whining, and ignore you.

chpmmttn · May 18, 2005, 02:35 PM // 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

well when they add the term casual gamer to the dictionary we'll have something to go by...until then we'll have to suffer each other's definitions.

well... casual is in the dictionary. which one of these applies to your gaming schedule?

1. Occurring by chance. See Synonyms at chance.

2. a. Occurring at irregular or infrequent intervals; occasional: casual employment at a factory; a casual correspondence with a former teacher.
b. Unpremeditated; offhand: a casual remark.

3. a. Being without ceremony or formality; relaxed: a casual evening with friends.
b. Suited for everyday wear or use; informal.

4.Not serious or thorough; superficial: a casual inspection.

5. a. Showing little interest or concern; nonchalant: a casual disregard for cold weather.
b. Lenient; permissive: a casual attitude toward drugs.

6. Not close or intimate; passing: a casual acquaintance with avant-garde music.

I played some this morning too. I soloed against the dwarves outside of yak's bend for fifteen minutes. It's probably all I'll get to play today. It was fun.

Romac · May 18, 2005, 05:10 PM // 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by chpmmttn

well... casual is in the dictionary. which one of these applies to your gaming schedule?

2. a. Occurring at irregular or infrequent intervals; occasional: casual employment at a factory; a casual correspondence with a former teacher.

if i had to pick one i'd have to go with #2

i don't think most people are refering to playing a game half-assed or not trying when they say 'casual gamer'

when people play a game they are almost always trying to win. If i only play pool once a year do i not try to win? of course i do. would you not call me a casual pool player because i'm trying to win? would you call me a hardcore poolplayer? of course you wouldn't.

if casual means you don't really care if you successfully complete a mission, then everyone that plays guild wars is hardcore by your insinuation.

Siren · May 18, 2005, 06:41 PM // 18:41

Romac, you just done a dumb thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chpmmtn

2. a. Occurring at irregular or infrequent intervals; occasional: casual employment at a factory; a casual correspondence with a former teacher.

Since you like that definition, Romac, we'll go with that one, then compare it to things you've previously said, just to see if you "fit" with #2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

i do have about 4 hours per day to play if i get up at 5am to queeze in an extra 2 hours. My wife also just took our daughter for a 3-day weekend so i bought a couple of sixpacks, drank beer, and played my ass off for about 3 days...went from 15 to 20 in three days.

This doesn't seem like an irregular or infrequent interval to me. You were sitting on your ass doing nothing but playing GuildWars for an entire weekend, Romac. Infrequent? Please. You devoted an entire weekend. An entire weekend of your life was spent doing nothing else but playing the game. It doesn't sound like you went out dancing; it doesn't sound like you went jogging. Hell, it doesn't even sound like you slept. You play irregularly or infrequently? If given the opportunity, you would play all the time, so don't play that card here.

Irregular or infrequent? Try again.

Quote:

I play 2 hours in the morning, 1 hour in the afternoon, and another hour in the evening.

2 hours in the morning.
1 hour in the afternoon.
1 hour in the evening.

That sounds like a work schedule. Irregular or infrequent my ass, man.

Face it. You aren't a casual gamer, going by any stretched definition of the word.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

To get my 4 hours on a weekday i have to get up at 5am

And maybe that's your problem. You're too concerned with playing. "I have to get up before the break of dawn just so I can get playtime in." Romac, that isn't healthy, end of story. And the fact that you "have" to all the more colors you has hopelessly devoted to an online RPG.

Romac, you don't have to do anything, let's make that perfectly clear, okay? You don't have to powergame over weekends, chugging six packs, when your wife and daughter are on vacation (again, do answer my question--did they invite you?). You don't have to get up at 5 am to play, not only because it's absurd--you're married, you have a family...don't you have a job?--but because it's wholly unnecessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

3 hours per day is definately not 'hardcore' by my estimates, and i would say that even 4 hours per day is not hardcore either...especially when it's busted up into 2 hours from 5 to 7, one hour from 1 to 2, and another hour beween 6:30 and 7:30.

That's a schedule. Don't try to play it off like you're just logging in whenever, because you're not. The fact that you've given us precise times is evidence that it's become a habit for you, i.e., a schedule.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

casual gamer to me has nothing to do with the intensity you play a game with, or your ability...the difference between a casual gamer and a hardcore gamer IMO is mainly time.

And quite frankly, that's a load of horseshit, because look where it's gotten us. As I said before, time is not, and should not be, the major determining factor. The major determining factor should be qualitative: the approach or mentality of the gamer, and Romac, your approach/mentality ("I MUST PLAY WHENEVER I GET THE CHANCE," because that is the kind of attitude you're demonstrating here) is so incredibly far from a casual "Oh, I'll play whenever. No worries" that I'm starting to expect a Waiting for Godot coming from you. I'm going to wrap-up my post by returning to that "point" of yours, by the way.

Quote:

i don't think most people are refering to playing a game half-assed or not trying when they say 'casual gamer'

when people play a game they are almost always trying to win. If i only play pool once a year do i not try to win? of course i do. would you not call me a casual pool player because i'm trying to win? would you call me a hardcore poolplayer? of course you wouldn't.

No, no, no. You're getting confused. Don't get confused. It will only further derail whatever it is you're trying to argue.

I'm not saying that casual gamers don't play to win, because many of them do. But that is competition in the heat of battle, and is something entirely different than what we're discussing here: the gaming tendencies, specifically in terms of mentality and to a lesser extent, time devotion, of the gamer.

Being a casual gamer who plays to win when they do play is something entirely different than spending an entire weekend playing an online video game when the wife and kids are on vacation, and likewise, something entirely different than waking up to play said online video game before most people are even awake to get ready for work.

Don't confuse the issue here, Romac, and don't confuse the focus of the discussion. Competition among casual gamers, and competition among "hardcore" gamers, are another discussion entirely.

And to hit on one point again...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

i don't think most people are refering to playing a game half-assed or not trying when they say 'casual gamer'

Where in the hell did chpmmttn ever indicate anything of the sort? He posted a definition then added an incidental remark about beating up midgets. You're arguing against points that were never raised to begin with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

if casual means you don't really care if you successfully complete a mission, then everyone that plays guild wars is hardcore by your insinuation.

Your logic here is faulty, and demonstrates a total lack of understanding of what we're saying here.

What I'm saying casual should mean is the gamer takes a more relaxed stance on the game, as in not forcing his or herself to get up at 5 or 6 am, that instead of staying at home and playing a video game the entire weekend, that person actually goes out and does something with physical people--or perhaps even accompanies his family on a vacation.

Nowhere did I ever say that a casual gamer doesn't really care if you successfully complete a mission. What I am saying, however, is that a truly casual gamer would try a few times to blast through a difficult mission, but after that, if they still didn't complete it, they wouldn't attempt it 20 more times, they wouldn't obsess over it, and they sure as hell wouldn't be bitching and moaning about it as much as you are in this thread, Romac.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

casual gamer to me has nothing to do with the intensity you play a game with, or your ability...the difference between a casual gamer and a hardcore gamer IMO is mainly time.

Intensity has everything to do with it. And that's not "intensity" in the sense of being competitive; far from it. It's intensity in the sense of how much of their life is the gamer willing to devote to a game--and Romac, you've consistently characterized yourself as the type of person who would play all the time if they were able to.

I'm done with you. If you can't get what I'm saying by this point, you're a fool--and a whiny, bitchy fool at that.

Xoduz · May 18, 2005, 06:55 PM // 18:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

grind = doing the same thing over, and over and over and over, and over

You just proved my point that you don't know what grind is. What you are talking about is repetition. Grind, in an RPG sense, is the gaining of levels through repetition. Grind is not simply repetition, or just about everything can be defined by grind. I log in 10 times a day, do I grind when I log in? When I travel around the world multiple times, am I grinding when I click the travel button for the 20th time?

When I look at the list of your grinds in other games, notice you had to specify the level or it would be meaningless? And then when you come to your other points reguarding GW you refer to hours or tries, when they are all completely determined by your skill level. If your skill level, or that of your friends/party/guild, beats the mission first time through, does that mean you "skipped" the grind?"

Seriously, i'm not trying to be harsh because you seem intelligent and thoughtful enough, but your way off on your premise.

p.s. Less than 10 hours a week I would say is casual. More than 50 hours I would say is hardcore. Otherwise, you are better described as moderate, normal or adverage.

Romac · May 18, 2005, 06:57 PM // 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siren

If you can't get what I'm saying by this point, you're a fool--and a whiny, bitchy fool at that.

lol

nice flame

the funny thing is this is the suggestion forum, i suggested that some specific missions need adjusting because they take way too long and result in me getting very frustrated, and my main toon getting stuck in one spot for a week while i wait for the weekend to scratch the time together to complete it.

Judging by all the other threads similar to this, i'd say it's obvious many others share my opinion.

And the result is a flame fest...let's see...

i'm pathetic
i'm a liar when i say i'm a casual player
my wife dislikes me so much she didn't invite me to go to my in-laws for the weekend
i'm a whiner
i'm a fool
i'm a bitch
i'm too stupid to succesfully complete ring of fire

i'm certain there are other jems that i can't recall off the top of my head.

have i been flamed from a dozen different angles? yes
did i once flame anyone? no

it's been entertaining to say the least.

Big Bad Wolf · May 18, 2005, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

I'm not hardcore, but i do have about 4 hours per day to play if i get up at 5am to queeze in an extra 2 hours. My wife also just took our daughter for a 3-day weekend so i bought a couple of sixpacks, drank beer, and played my ass off for about 3 days...went from 15 to 20 in three days.

and you say you arent hardcore, first off, shitcan the beer, it makes you too stupid to know how stupid it makes you play. it slows your reaction times. Second, more than an hour a day is hardcore no matter how you look at it. its takign up a significant portion of yoru free time. If my daughter lived with me Id be spending all my time with her, not playing this game. Yeah I hated spendign 5 days trying to do river, it sucked ass, but it was nothign to the 5 months I wasted in DAoC and AC trying to get anywhere. I honestly dont see ths gae taking more than a month of my time to complete. Hell go to DAoC and try to beat the game in a week. There arent any more quests there than there are here, just as many mobs, they just gimp the xps so it keeps you playing and paying.

Yeah river took em a long time, but it was because I kept gettign retarded PUG's, as soon as I got a good one we did it liek it was nothin. Mirror? I honestly dont know wtf people bitch about, I did mine in the first try. Not because I have super uber 1337 skyllz, btu because I paid attention to what other people had to say about it and put some effort into actual

strategy

, instead of expecting to just spam 123 123 123 1234 and have my char mow down endless hoards of mobs.

Siren · May 18, 2005, 07:39 PM // 19:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

lol

nice flame

the funny thing is this is the suggestion forum, i suggested that some specific missions need adjusting because they take way too long and result in me getting very frustrated, and my main toon getting stuck in one spot for a week while i wait for the weekend to scratch the time together to complete it.

Judging by all the other threads similar to this, i'd say it's obvious many others share my opinion.

And the result is a flame fest...let's see...

i'm pathetic
i'm a liar when i say i'm a casual player
my wife dislikes me so much she didn't invite me to go to my in-laws for the weekend
i'm a whiner
i'm a fool
i'm a bitch
i'm too stupid to succesfully complete ring of fire

i'm certain there are other jems that i can't recall off the top of my head.

have i been flamed from a dozen different angles? yes
did i once flame anyone? no

it's been entertaining to say the least.

Counter my points, Romac, not the very last sentence in my post--or are you unable to do that?

And you want us to take you seriously? Start posting with some intelligence, use punctuation, use capitalization, use some meaningful paragraphing, and most importantly, use some common sense. Your above response doesn't effectively respond to anything that was said. It's a vague, bitchy post and you're not helping your case at all by posting vague, bitchy posts, simple as that.

Try to take the high road all you want by "it's been entertaining to say the least," but your vain attempt at saving face here is a futile gesture at best, because you've shown your true colors here--and nothing you say is going to improve your image now.

You are done. Thanks for playing. Now go whine somewhere else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

Judging by all the other threads similar to this, i'd say it's obvious many others share my opinion.

By the way, that's also a load of horseshit.

Quote:

And the result is a flame fest...let's see...

Oh, please. We call you on the loads of horseshit you're spewing here, and you act like you're somehow the victim here? Get over yourself, Romac. "Flame fest" my ass. We were calling you on bullshit, nothing more. If you think that's flaming, then you are a fool--and a hypersensitive one at that.

Romac, you're married, with kids. Go spend time with them instead of wasting our time here, or wasting your time playing a dumb online game.

Serafita Kayin · May 18, 2005, 07:47 PM // 19:47

OK, that's enough. If I don't see civility in the next two posts, I'm calling EnDinG and we're closing this.

And not one more bit of foul language. You used your quota.

Romac · May 18, 2005, 08:18 PM // 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siren

Counter my points, Romac, not the very last sentence in my post--or are you unable to do that?

countering your points doesn't interest me in the least. you are too full of hatred, anger, and far too eager to flame.

And your points are meaningless to the intent of my thread.

The intent of my thread is to convey my PERCEPTION to those responsible for making changes to the game. Your perception means nothing to me.

My PERCEPTION is that the claims made by game designers about the game being perfect for the player that doesn't have large blocks of time to dedicate were lies...or at the very least misleading. I have 2 to 4 hours per day to dedicate yet i'm getting stuck at places for a week, then have to spend huge amounts of time on the weekends to get through them.

The whole over-dramatized title of the thread was designed to specifically grab the attention of any browsing employees of arena net.

I would think that the PERCEPTION of players is very important to arena net.

I'm certain that arena net also understands that the majority of casual gamers probably don't even participate in these forums, and that the PERCEPTION of the few that are here actually represent how a huge population of players feel.

chpmmttn · May 18, 2005, 08:33 PM // 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

if i had to pick one i'd have to go with #2

i don't think most people are refering to playing a game half-assed or not trying when they say 'casual gamer'

when people play a game they are almost always trying to win. If i only play pool once a year do i not try to win? of course i do. would you not call me a casual pool player because i'm trying to win? would you call me a hardcore poolplayer? of course you wouldn't.

if casual means you don't really care if you successfully complete a mission, then everyone that plays guild wars is hardcore by your insinuation.

My insinuation was that by the very fact that you had a gaming schedule, you probably aren't a 'casual player'. This has already been pointed out.

My comment on how much I played this morning was simply to illustrate that you can enjoy the game without playing it for hours. Your concept of being a casual gamer is very different than mine and I was trying to show that.

For you being a casual player is playing 4 hours a day. For me it is playing when I get a chance, whether it's a Sunday afternoon (which got me to Yak's bend) or just a few minutes in the morning. I didn't have time to do a quest or a mission so I worked out some kinks in my skill set and how I play.

Also, since you seem to be insinuating (lots of that going around) that I was playing half assed, let me say again that I was soloing, no henchmen, just me. I was playing as a W/N with swords and curses. My only healing was from Parasitic Bond and Insidious Curse; just enough to keep me barely alive. It was a very challenging fifteen minutes. After most fights I would watch my life drop to a sliver from bleeding and then have to skirt around roaming mobs while my life built back up.

When I get a chunk of time I'll finish some more quests and missions. I don't know when that will be, but it would probably be the same time that I might watch a movie if I wasn't playing this game. In the meantime I'll play when I get a chance for a few minutes and make my own goals. To me, this is being a casual gamer, and I am enjoying the game immensely.

This is not to say that if I had the time to play that you do that I wouldn't be. I probably would, but I wouldn't consider myself a casual gamer anymore. Hell, I probably shouldn't consider myself a casual gamer since I read this forum while at work.

Siren · May 19, 2005, 12:39 AM // 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

countering your points doesn't interest me in the least. you are too full of hatred, anger, and far too eager to flame.

Full of hatred? Anger? Too eager to flame? Those are excuses, Romac, not reasons. Frankly, they're lousy excuses. I'm no Anakin Skywalker here, so stop dealing in hyperbolics--you have a tendency to do that, too, so stop it. I'm not full of hatred, not full of anger, and certainly not too eager to flame.

You're just too sensitive. You're trying to discard my points solely on the basis of my personality (my personality is simply I'm blunt when I'm saying things). If you refuse to counter my points simply based on a personal reaction, then you really are unable to counter my points in an actual debate, or on the merits of an actual rebuttal, simple as that.

You want to prove me wrong, counter my points without resorting to anything that remotely resembles "no i wont because your mean."

Quote:

And your points are meaningless to the intent of my thread.

Is that so?

Quote:

The intent of my thread is to convey my PERCEPTION to those responsible for making changes to the game. Your perception means nothing to me.

My PERCEPTION is that the claims made by game designers about the game being perfect for the player that doesn't have large blocks of time to dedicate were lies...or at the very least misleading. I have 2 to 4 hours per day to dedicate yet i'm getting stuck at places for a week, then have to spend huge amounts of time on the weekends to get through them.

The whole over-dramatized title of the thread was designed to specifically grab the attention of any browsing employees of arena net.

I would think that the PERCEPTION of players is very important to arena net.

I'm certain that arena net also understands that the majority of casual gamers probably don't even participate in these forums, and that the PERCEPTION of the few that are here actually represent how a huge population of players feel.

Your perception (ooh, that's a nice 5-dollar word, now watch me turn it against you lol) of the game is a faulty perception, which is what all my previous points have been focused on.

1) You have continually tried to convince us here that you are a "casual" player, but that's an outright lie (or a self-delusion), simply based on what you have admitted to doing. Your perception is reliable? I'm sorry, it isn't.

2) Throughout the thread, you've been touting your SWG playtime as if it somehow would validate your criticisms, but what you have failed to realize is that it only hurts your argument, because it doesn't portray you as some sensible or mature individual.

All it does is show how skewed your perceptions are. SWG is a grind, yeah. I also experienced the Jedi Hologrind first-hand, but after I saw I needed to Master BioEngie, I knew it wasn't worth it.

But then to label difficult endgame missions in GuildWars as a grind simply because you're failing at them? Because you perceive them as a grind?

That's asinine, because again, your perception of the game is flawed.

3) While you would deny it vehemently, it's clear to any here that you perceive yourself as some type of gaming god, so if you're unable to complete a mission, that must mean the mission itself is designed poorly.

Again, your perception is faulty.

---

Romac, you want to talk perceptual dynamics? You have none, and the fact that everyone here is totally disagreeing with you on many of your points should be a strong indicator of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

I'm certain that arena net also understands that the majority of casual gamers probably don't even participate in these forums, and that the PERCEPTION of the few that are here actually represent how a huge population of players feel.

Are you implying that YOU are their voice? With such a faulty perception to begin with, I think the only way for one to believe that would be for one to fool his or herself into that delusion.

Romac, you want to talk perception, bring it on. You have no idea what the word actually means.

"This post is brought to you by the letters S, T, F, and U."

Loviatar · May 19, 2005, 12:50 AM // 00:50

i think one of the main questions here is why you are failing missions other people finish in one or two tries at less time per try.

are they all simply better than you are?

horohoro08 · May 19, 2005, 12:55 AM // 00:55

i think the game can have some unnecessary mobs removed or weakened. for instance, in the elona misison, in the beginning, u hav to kill bunch of bulls, which is absolutely pointless, then when u get to the crystals, before entering the base where the crystals are held, there are countless numbers of mobs just standing out in the open, which is also pointless, and people just use the "back alley" to get to the bases, and that countless number of mobs just stand there anyways. and sometimes when u team up with a noob and he runs into the mob, well, ur screwed, kuz u'd see this big patch of red dots moving towards u on ur map, and then u restart. so i think there are some mobs that can be removed

Paloma Song · May 19, 2005, 12:57 AM // 00:57

Quote:

the fact that everyone here is totally disagreeing with you on many of your points

Weird, I didn't 'totally' disagree with him on anything in my post. Neither did a number of posters; in fact, several agreed that parts of the game were grindy and/or too difficult. Click back and have a look. You do not speak for me, nor for them. Frankly, you're being so rude to him I can't imagine wanting to be on your side, even if you happened to be right. As I said earlier, the ranting, off-topic e-peen contest just undermines opined opposition to his original claim. Aside from the obvious ad hominems I quoted earlier, the opposition's decline began with the attacks on the OP's clarity of perception in claiming he is a casual gamer, a ridiculous stand to take, since 'casual gamer' is a completely relative term, and therefore his claim neither proves nor disproves his perceptive abilities.

I'll reiterate my point, which lines up with the OP's in large part, though perhaps with more tact: the game has plenty of grind, and parts are too difficult for semi-hardcore players, let alone casual-average gamers, and Arenanet exaggerated and perhaps omitted truth in their claims that GW was intended as a casual player's dream game. With luck, and effort, and through well-intentioned threads like these, such problems might be heard and corrected in the future... hopefully, with less inflammatory drivel and verbal pissing contests clogging up the communication channels.

Ramus · May 19, 2005, 01:00 AM // 01:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAC

I just don't see the point in defending the grind by comparing to other worse examples (WoW etc.). Why should it only be better? Why not GREAT?! A major move forward? I haven't read one single comment where someone complained about A-Net's decision to not respawn mobs if you die during a quest. I'll bet that if they did respawn and someone suggest they shouldn't there'd be a ton of comments complaining about that it would make the game too easy.

This post in the beginning was dead on, everyone who defends guild wars to the death using the line, "THIS GAME IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER GAME!" Yet, if it is to defend it against a grind post it is always compared to other mmorpgs. In your words, "This game is not like any other game." Why compare it to the grinds in other mmorpgs? This is not a mmorpg. I agree with some people about it being too much of a grind, and others with it being ok in certain parts. I will say though, the game was advertised as many things that it is not and I will not defend Guild Wars against the title of this post.

I went through most of the game up to the desert, up till then it was alright, I was able to play 2 to 4 hours a day. Once I reached this point though it got a bit ridiculous, 6-8 spiders spawning at a time. Each of them able to heal with some DOT spell. It started to get utterly insane, instead of completing quests in this area all of the groups try to get as many warriors/monks as possible and sprint to the objectives. Is this what the Devs want?

igormak · May 19, 2005, 01:06 AM // 01:06

think all missions are very easy, they were developed with thought in mind that one player with henchies could make it.
i have completed the game with n/me - 1 armor item infused (that is to stress that you dont need to make infuse runs)
i have 2nd char, lvl 20 R/E in one of shiverpeaks missions (ice caves or smth). I got to lvl20 in 2 days. (in15 seconds from lvl17 to lvl20 for killing my mirror). And guess what, almost all missions i did with henchies.. -- much faster.
As for last missions, yeah, you need more than 30 mins for them, and I really hate mursaat, coz they are disbalance, necro's minions and ranger's pet die in no time... Was very frustrating for me to play last missions; no point in my minions, I switched to curses.. And if its gonna be later that way ( I mean after addons) there is no sense playing necro, because he will suck not only in pvp but in pve too

Overall, i am dissapointed with game and dont play anymore.

btw, does any1 want to see how necro female 60k bonelace armor looks?

Serafita Kayin · May 19, 2005, 01:23 AM // 01:23

This is slowly edging worse and worse, though better than before.

And mobs in bad places make you strategize, which is a higher thought function.

High Priest Death · May 19, 2005, 01:46 AM // 01:46

First off man clam down the world is not over, however, I do understand the way you feel. Second of all the Devs did not "lie". The game is exactly as they said it would be. What they did is try to stray away from the "industry norm" of the market as of now.(EQ, WoW, etc..) Maybe your new to the RPG world, but it does take time thats part of the fun. Whats nice about GuildWars is that it is designed to be a hell of a lot faster than other online-rpgs out there. Take Everquest for example. You will spend 30+ actual days of playing your character. Thats not 30 days from when you created your character, thats litterally 30 days of actual playing the game just to get to a realatively decent level 60+ and access to teir 1 zones. To me that is a total waste of my time and I have to pay for it? Lol no thanks. What I'm trying to convey to you is that GuildWars greatly improved from a lot of these games and I believe the comparison the Devs are trying to make is that you don't have to spend countless hours of wasted time to see end game. Have long have you been playing? It seems like you would almost be level 20 if not already and be very near end game. You may have figured out some missions are harder than others, but its only harder if you are using the wrong strategy. I will admit it will take some tries before you get it down, but again thats part of the fun of the game. The missions are not easy (especially some of the higher level ones), but come on its a game, a very fun game at that. Just enjoy it, it seems to me that you started the "hardcore phase" you've brought the game to a personal level don't do that! Play the game thats whats it is meant for. In the end no one will really care what level you are what sort of gear you have, all I can is just try and enjoy yourself, but thats just my opinion.

-chris