I'm back after 5 years, got a few questions - Page 2 - Guild Wars Forums

Gadd Fan · Apr 27, 2015, 06:57 PM // 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkside

Didn't know anyone still played this game. I found my account info for gw guru and decided to see if the place still existed or not. It's crazy that you can have 7 heros now. </random post>

Not crazy. Completely logical. Not just because of the reduced numbers now but also that everyone has different likes and dislikes in playing games and the more a company can provide different styles like the solo style for missions here it just expands the numbers who will play.

Personally I ALWAYS tried every mission solo from the beginning because I like to learn on my own first and foremost and also don't want to be a noob drag on an experienced team.

Also as a mature adult I do NOT deal well with name-calling and rage resigns (just not over a failure on my part but especially by some one else who is doing there best to be friendly and trying to learn) by some immature 12 year old. I don't want to play with those morons who get their validation out of life by behaving in a cruel manner towards others. I will not play any game with those types.

So seven hero pacts, when they came out years ago, was a VERY long overdue feature.

Zahr Dalsk · Apr 28, 2015, 03:20 PM // 15:20

While I did argue a lot in the past for 7 heroes and I think the ability to play the game practically with the AI is a good thing - now more than ever - I think 7 heroes harmed the game. Even 3 was kind of pushing it.

Not because of playing with the AI. People who wanted to play alone were playing alone either way.

But because it made it too easy to test party builds. With 7 heroes you didn't have to gather up people to test out party builds (theorycrafting alone doesn't really cut it) but instead could just use heroes to do the testing. This led to people, even more than before, following wiki builds. And it also drove down player skill because people would run a hero team build off the wiki and steamroll PvE with it, and never realize that the build they had on their own character was awful (which it often was, as we see by the builds people brought to Zaishen quests).

I think it would have been better if ArenaNet had simply put in more effort in keeping hench builds up to date and worked on better AI. Enough to keep them effective in PvE, without actually letting players modify their builds.

But that's all in the past anyways.

Gadd Fan · Apr 28, 2015, 04:54 PM // 16:54

I would argue that most people don't play games to test builds or whatever. They play games to have fun.

There is noting wrong with using some standard build if you enjoy the game using it. Doesn't make you some moron. Makes you a normal person wanting to play as oppose to getting your calculator out to figure out the rate of whatever vs the killing power of who cares.

Hey, I think enough at work, I don't play to channel Einstein. I play to relax and de-stress and escape all that crap. A game doesn't "validate" my ego in any way, shape or form as regards to finding so-called challenges to overcome etc. It allows me to escape from same for awhile and mellows me out.

If you don't want this stuff then just don't use your personal toons heroes or even the in game heroes you recruit like Koss and Vekk etc. No one is forcing you to. Play the old way if you want that. But let the rest of us who want to have fun with our own toons enjoy what we want to enjoy. Because it is about ADDING CHOICE and not taking away anything from hench-lovers who can still hang out with the same old builds over and over again all they want.

Because I like playing with my other characters as heroes far far better. Kind of like my GW family of toons FINALLY got to meet each other and now can go on weird and crazy road trips together.

(It was so weird on the old days. I'd have all these toons and could never party up with them so now things finally feel normal and how they always should have been from day one.).

**cosyfiep** · Apr 28, 2015, 05:03 PM // 17:03

couple of issues with that, Zahr
1 the heroes dont use their skills they way humans would (henchies or heroes). Thus testing with them would give both good and bad results. Good because you can see (somewhat) what skill may or may not work together, bad because the heroes wont use them they way humans do. It did cut down on the time needed to test new builds (to some extent).
2 the 'build' that people use doesnt matter...'bad or 'good' is a non-issue. Unless you are pvp. Playing the game and having fun while doing it is what matters. I run crummy builds because they are FUN to play. Yes, there are more effective builds and some of them are so boring as to make the game horrible to play, but they are 'good' builds! THAT is what the wiki builds did--forced people to play builds that may or maynot be good, but were what everyone else was playing====BORING! (ibargon anyone? poor paragons wound up with this horrible but very effective build and NOTHING else, my paragon plays a totally different crummy build, but she has fun doing it!)

Having heroes allowed people to play more of the game the way they wanted to and not the way others had forced them to (if they wanted to party with them). I do not see this as a bad thing. When I get home from work I dont want to have to be forced to play xyz build 'because its the best build' or get kicked from a group. If I play on my own with my heroes I can use that build and have fun while doing it which is why I play a GAME. (if I wanted to play only xyz build there is a totally new game for that...its called gw2).

Seven heroes didnt destroy the game, heroes didnt destroy the game; they only allow those of us still playing to continue to play with less people, at times when we want to play and how we wish to PLAY. Time destroyed the game, games get old, people leave for newer more shiny games, people get bored; this happens. Life goes on. BUT this game is still around and plenty of people are still enjoying it. If you dont want heroes then find a group (guild) to play with and have fun doing it.

So play the game the way you want to, if its with the wiki builds then fine, if its with your own creative builds, fine. But remember in the end ITS A GAME so have fun doing it.

dang I type too slowly, Gadd got there first and said what I just did

Zahr Dalsk · Apr 28, 2015, 09:55 PM // 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gadd Fan

If you don't want this stuff then just don't use your personal toons heroes or even the in game heroes you recruit like Koss and Vekk etc. No one is forcing you to. Play the old way if you want that. But let the rest of us who want to have fun with our own toons enjoy what we want to enjoy. Because it is about ADDING CHOICE and not taking away anything from hench-lovers who can still hang out with the same old builds over and over again all they want.

You're preaching to the choir. I have always been one of GWG's loudest voices whining (I think that describes my tone accurately

) about the need for 7 hero parties and how awful henchmen and other players are. I'm just observing, in retrospect, that overall they were not such a good thing for the game, as much as I may like them (and they are obviously, at this point in the game's lifespan, necessary since PUGs are impossible). Also, Mercenary heroes are cosmetic. They do not function, mechanically, differently from regular heroes, although I use them as much as I can anyways.

PS: I still don't get how you go from character and arrive at "toon".

Gadd Fan · Apr 29, 2015, 07:27 AM // 07:27

Toon or character, same thing. Some people in the game say one thing, some say the other. Toon, short for cartoon as in imaginary character I guess. I started out in game saying "characters" but seemed like almost everyone I met used the term "toons" and since it was shorter to type in chat box I got in the habit too. No biggie.

And to me personally the game is still a kind of RPG because I like RPGs. So I want to play with my guys. Toons I gave backgrounds and story lines to in my head. You can call it cosmetic. I call it having fun with a gaming family of heroes I created. Also if I want 4 Rits say in a party I better have some of my own toons to draw from.

OS T · Jun 03, 2015, 08:02 AM // 08:02

been a while since I replied here,but have had a lot to do.
been playing for a while now,and its pretty much the sam,except som has really bad builds even tho they have taken them from wiki.
Im working on my last hero now.

I have tried out UA build for monk,and its pretty good for nm,but I tend to go back zb build with selfless spirit since its my favorite protting build.

Apr 28, 2015, 04:54 PM // 16:54	#23
Gadd Fan Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Feb 2014	I would argue that most people don't play games to test builds or whatever. They play games to have fun. There is noting wrong with using some standard build if you enjoy the game using it. Doesn't make you some moron. Makes you a normal person wanting to play as oppose to getting your calculator out to figure out the rate of whatever vs the killing power of who cares. Hey, I think enough at work, I don't play to channel Einstein. I play to relax and de-stress and escape all that crap. A game doesn't "validate" my ego in any way, shape or form as regards to finding so-called challenges to overcome etc. It allows me to escape from same for awhile and mellows me out. If you don't want this stuff then just don't use your personal toons heroes or even the in game heroes you recruit like Koss and Vekk etc. No one is forcing you to. Play the old way if you want that. But let the rest of us who want to have fun with our own toons enjoy what we want to enjoy. Because it is about ADDING CHOICE and not taking away anything from hench-lovers who can still hang out with the same old builds over and over again all they want. Because I like playing with my other characters as heroes far far better. Kind of like my GW family of toons FINALLY got to meet each other and now can go on weird and crazy road trips together. (It was so weird on the old days. I'd have all these toons and could never party up with them so now things finally feel normal and how they always should have been from day one.). Last edited by Gadd Fan; Apr 28, 2015 at 05:00 PM // 17:00..

Apr 28, 2015, 05:03 PM // 17:03	#24
cosyfiep are we there yet? Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: in a land far far away Guild: guild? I am supposed to have a guild? Profession: Rt/	couple of issues with that, Zahr 1 the heroes dont use their skills they way humans would (henchies or heroes). Thus testing with them would give both good and bad results. Good because you can see (somewhat) what skill may or may not work together, bad because the heroes wont use them they way humans do. It did cut down on the time needed to test new builds (to some extent). 2 the 'build' that people use doesnt matter...'bad or 'good' is a non-issue. Unless you are pvp. Playing the game and having fun while doing it is what matters. I run crummy builds because they are FUN to play. Yes, there are more effective builds and some of them are so boring as to make the game horrible to play, but they are 'good' builds! THAT is what the wiki builds did--forced people to play builds that may or maynot be good, but were what everyone else was playing====BORING! (ibargon anyone? poor paragons wound up with this horrible but very effective build and NOTHING else, my paragon plays a totally different crummy build, but she has fun doing it!) Having heroes allowed people to play more of the game the way they wanted to and not the way others had forced them to (if they wanted to party with them). I do not see this as a bad thing. When I get home from work I dont want to have to be forced to play xyz build 'because its the best build' or get kicked from a group. If I play on my own with my heroes I can use that build and have fun while doing it which is why I play a GAME. (if I wanted to play only xyz build there is a totally new game for that...its called gw2). Seven heroes didnt destroy the game, heroes didnt destroy the game; they only allow those of us still playing to continue to play with less people, at times when we want to play and how we wish to PLAY. Time destroyed the game, games get old, people leave for newer more shiny games, people get bored; this happens. Life goes on. BUT this game is still around and plenty of people are still enjoying it. If you dont want heroes then find a group (guild) to play with and have fun doing it. So play the game the way you want to, if its with the wiki builds then fine, if its with your own creative builds, fine. But remember in the end ITS A GAME so have fun doing it. dang I type too slowly, Gadd got there first and said what I just did __________________ where is the 'all you can eat' cookie bar? Last edited by cosyfiep; Apr 28, 2015 at 05:05 PM // 17:05..

Apr 28, 2015, 03:20 PM // 15:20	#22
Zahr Dalsk Grotto Attendant Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Canada	While I did argue a lot in the past for 7 heroes and I think the ability to play the game practically with the AI is a good thing - now more than ever - I think 7 heroes harmed the game. Even 3 was kind of pushing it. Not because of playing with the AI. People who wanted to play alone were playing alone either way. But because it made it too easy to test party builds. With 7 heroes you didn't have to gather up people to test out party builds (theorycrafting alone doesn't really cut it) but instead could just use heroes to do the testing. This led to people, even more than before, following wiki builds. And it also drove down player skill because people would run a hero team build off the wiki and steamroll PvE with it, and never realize that the build they had on their own character was awful (which it often was, as we see by the builds people brought to Zaishen quests). I think it would have been better if ArenaNet had simply put in more effort in keeping hench builds up to date and worked on better AI. Enough to keep them effective in PvE, without actually letting players modify their builds. But that's all in the past anyways.

Apr 29, 2015, 07:27 AM // 07:27	#26
Gadd Fan Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Feb 2014	Toon or character, same thing. Some people in the game say one thing, some say the other. Toon, short for cartoon as in imaginary character I guess. I started out in game saying "characters" but seemed like almost everyone I met used the term "toons" and since it was shorter to type in chat box I got in the habit too. No biggie. And to me personally the game is still a kind of RPG because I like RPGs. So I want to play with my guys. Toons I gave backgrounds and story lines to in my head. You can call it cosmetic. I call it having fun with a gaming family of heroes I created. Also if I want 4 Rits say in a party I better have some of my own toons to draw from.

Jun 03, 2015, 08:02 AM // 08:02	#27
OS T Desert Nomad Join Date: May 2006 Profession: Mo/E	been a while since I replied here,but have had a lot to do. been playing for a while now,and its pretty much the sam,except som has really bad builds even tho they have taken them from wiki. Im working on my last hero now. I have tried out UA build for monk,and its pretty good for nm,but I tend to go back zb build with selfless spirit since its my favorite protting build.