Curse

TheGizzy · Sep 13, 2012, 11:37 PM // 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trx

I get motion sickness from a lot of games, but GW1 wasn't one of them. After reading GW2 used an upgraded version of the GW1 engine I didn't think I would get motion sickness so bad from it. I've played around with all graphics settings but to no avail.

I got severe motion sickness from Portal 2, which was the first time I've ever experienced motion sickness from anything in 40+ years of living. Then when I began playing GW2 during the betas, I was experiencing the same thing - I was horrified, because I was so anxious to play it.

After some research and talking to my doctor, I began playing with a bright light positioned within my natural field of view in the room.

Motion sickness gone immediately, and it hasn't returned EXCEPT if I'm playing in the mornings and it's still sort of dusky in here (west-facing windows) and I forget to turn that lamp on.

Just thought I'd mention that in case it could help you...

**cosyfiep** · Sep 13, 2012, 11:52 PM // 23:52

gonna need to try that one...I get it so bad even the original gw causes it sometimes (rubberbanding makes me VERY nauseous.)...most video games give it to me

would be nice if this works! (thanks Gizzy)

going to go and find a really bright light now.....

projectmercy · Sep 14, 2012, 12:16 AM // 00:16

A lot of people find the latest game gives them motion sickness. More often than not, this is a result of a reduction in FPS from what their eyes are used too. While you may not be able to quantify the difference between 33 FPS and 60 FPS, over time your brain has to work harder to process the motion, and this results in headaches and sickness.

Also, as mentioned, light. Ideally, ambient light around your monitors should be equivalent to a comfortable daylight setting that doesn't reflect off the monitor screen. I've seen some ergonomic sites suggest to turn the light down and keep the monitor bright. I don't think those people have actually ever used a monitor for any extended period. Your eyes should be able to move your focal point off the monitor to the things in your area without requiring dilation. This is especially true with newer CCFL and LED backlight monitors which have a brighter white-point. If ever you're in a position where you feel you need to turn the brightness down on the monitor because it's hurting your eyes, what you really want to do is increase the ambient light.

**cosyfiep** · Sep 14, 2012, 03:37 AM // 03:37

well, for me, video games have been causing this issue...for many, many years (I also cant read in a car and must watch out the window if I fly--the WHOLE TIME). I have an over head light almost over my computer (slightly behind it..so I can easily see it), I rarely have to adjust my eyes when looking from my computer to anywhere else. I do not play in the dark (though I do mod in the dark

).
my ears and eyes just dont like NOT being in sync with each other, and choose to use my sense of balance as their warground.

but I will try anything to stop having spells while playing (ok, just about anything---)

dawnmist · Sep 14, 2012, 05:15 AM // 05:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosyfiep

well, for me, video games have been causing this issue...for many, many years (I also cant read in a car and must watch out the window if I fly--the WHOLE TIME). I have an over head light almost over my computer (slightly behind it..so I can easily see it), I rarely have to adjust my eyes when looking from my computer to anywhere else. I do not play in the dark (though I do mod in the dark

).
my ears and eyes just dont like NOT being in sync with each other, and choose to use my sense of balance as their warground.

but I will try anything to stop having spells while playing (ok, just about anything---)

Other things that might help:

Ginger - I like Dry Ginger Ale/Ginger Beer, but anything with ginger essence tends to help settle nausea. Tastes good as a drink too.
Antihistamines (like low-dose Phenergan - 10mg) or Anti-Nausea tablets. I use 10mg Phenergan prior to long car trips to prevent car sickness.
Peppermint or Lavendar essence on a handkerchief put somewhere where you can smell it (e.g. tucked in your shirt collar) - only need a drop or two, but they also tend to help with controlling nausea.
Turning off any settings in game that cause camera shake, lighting bloom, image blur, and if you have an option changing the FoV as that is one of the big ones but not all games allow it.

GW2: that means Post Processing = low or off, Enable Camera Shake = off, and possibly play Windowed with the window the full width of the screen but NOT the full height (as FoV is calculated on the ratio between width+height) to give a larger FoV.

**cosyfiep** · Sep 14, 2012, 08:00 AM // 08:00

thanks for the ideas, but most of those actually make it worse (I get sea sick too...and the pills that are supposed to help make me soo sick).
and I am allergic to antihistamines....nothing like a trip to the er just for taking a pill

ginger I love and have it just about every day...does nothing as well as lavender...smells nice but otherwise zip.

but thanks for thinking about it and letting me know (I have had this problem for 30+ years, so yeah, I have tried quite a few things both good ideas and some really horrible ones--and yeah, those were the ones the doctors did to me), I have just learned to basically avoid situations, I dont read in the car, I dont watch movies or tv with 'shaky cam'..I never watch homemade videos (those are some of the worst!), I dont go near boats, and I have given up flying (for more reasons than just this).

and
I wont play a video game that can or does cause it...so gw2 is OUT! (not that I was really planning on playing it anyways, but this makes the decision a no-brainer)

cantalus · Sep 14, 2012, 10:37 PM // 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiogoSilva

Outside of you not liking the MMO genre, and thinking that the entire genre = WoW, GW2 is a very unique game. It takes a lot of innovations from different MMOs that were poorly executed, and massively improves upon them (dynamic events, World versus World). It takes the main philosophy behind GW1 and expands upon it (cosmetic/ prestige endgame rewards, skill over gear grinding, content that can be enjoyed alone without forcing you to be in a party with human players). And is pretty bold at completely revamping key MMO concepts (no holy trinity roles, no endgame raids).

Jade Quarry/ Fort Aspenwood/ Alliance Battles are primitive/ outdated versions of World vs World, and no one is going to call the former formats more original or sophisticated than the later one. They are pretty much bare-bones in comparison.
.

skill over gear grinding, hmmmm nope, fraid not, it's a pve grindfest, as for JQ and FA being primitive and outdated compared to WvWvW, well, i suspect you're impressed by size, pvp is laughable in gw2, and JQ and FA along with AB are basic and easy, however they're far better enviroments for pvp than anything in gw2, though of course not as good as halls and gvg. GW2 is, again, a pve grindfest designed by a corporate diversion to make money out of the majority of MMO game players, i.e. pvers

Kunder · Sep 14, 2012, 11:54 PM // 23:54

Quote:

skill over gear grinding, hmmmm nope, fraid not, it's a pve grindfest, as for JQ and FA being primitive and outdated compared to WvWvW, well, i suspect you're impressed by size, pvp is laughable in gw2, and JQ and FA along with AB are basic and easy, however they're far better enviroments for pvp than anything in gw2, though of course not as good as halls and gvg. GW2 is, again, a pve grindfest designed by a corporate diversion to make money out of the majority of MMO game players, i.e. pvers

The problem with GW2 is that it is neither skill nor gear grinding. It's EXP grinding. There is literally nothing you can do to beat something that is level 50 when you are level 40, and you are lucky to beat it at level 45. It's the GW1 level-based crit formula, except even stronger and causing the lower levels to get reverse-crits ("glancing blows") which basically make fighting anything other than your level +-2 worthless. Go ahead, try and kill a 10k enemy when you do 30 damage per hit and they do 1k.

TL;DR, GW2 gives you a huge world and then locks you into 2% of it at any given time. Compare this to GW1 where 90% of the game was available at level 20. GW2 should have kept lvl 20 as the cap, but DERP MMO DERP.

WvW is actually the one thing I have hope for being half-decent with coordinated play (I doubt we will see much of that though...). PvP in GW2, OTOH, is a laughable piece of shit with a small map and only 3 cap points.

obastable · Sep 15, 2012, 01:55 AM // 01:55

I have had varying degrees of excitement about GW2 over the years. At times indifferent, at times resentful, at times really excited, and while I followed the development very closely I was still extremely shocked by some of the game mechanics.

Most notably by how guild and team support seems to be a rushed afterthought (post release and a few million people bitching) that still lacks in functionality. It's nice that we now, more often than not, at least end up in the same server as our teammates when we zone but there is still a difinitive lack of team support. I do not have superhuman vision and reflexes and am not capable of instinctively knowing where my teammates are at all times during combat - I'm finding a lot of the time that my support spells are missing the mark because I can't select my damned teammates to make sure the spell targets where they are. Party UI improvements PLEASE.

I read somewhere in this thread a remark about the targetting system, and it made me laugh ... what targetting system? For both combat and interactive uses, the targetting system is complete crap. Auto target doesn't always attack the nearest target ... promote target, etc., doesn't work too well either. If you disable auto targetting you'll have issues selecting the proper target unless you manually button mash your way through it. Non-combat targetting ... standing around a group of people .. say, a few humans, asuran, and a pair of norns all clumped together. Try clicking on them each individually and you'll end up with whoever is out front the most! Try clicking on your crafting table when there's 30 other people standing there! Holy shit is that ever annoying!

I like the game, I really do, but it needs improvement. I dislike how unfinished the targetting and team mechanics feel.

I do like the level scaling, but contrary to what they say the loot scaling UP is a crock of steaming horseshit - at levl 80 I should not be getting level 30 trash. Perhaps it's just me & by default I will continue to get useless trash for the next 5 years much like it took me 5 years to get a black dye to drop in GW1.

But seriously ... wtf is up with that? Guildies and such are having similar experiences with the loot scaling not working as advertised.

Server switches need to be MUCH cheaper. In fact I'd rather they were free. If you recall we had some issues with this in GW1 and Anet was wise enough to make district switching free and unlimited. Hindering the fans from playing with their friends is not condusive to happy & repeat customers. If they want to make it hard, or in some way punitive, for us to abuse their generosity they could just tack on some absurd time constraint (like 48 hours or such) during which we'd not be able to access our accounts. Whatever ... but making it cost so much is just crap. The micro transactions are supposed to be for vanity, and while I understand that GW2 was designed from the ground up to be a single player game I don't think it's "vanity" to want to be able to play with our friends.

Jump puzzles ... ffs. This would be OK if my main wasn't a bloody giant Norn that, for some reason, causes spastic camera reflex whenever I come in close contact with things like walls, ledges, outcroppings, etc.. It would be nice if all it took to fix this was a simple twist of the camera angle but alas ... that just causes a severe case of embedded ass camera wherein my view suddenly switches & I'm stuck viewing my own toons ass from the viewpoint of whichever piece of landscape I happen to be nearest. I have no idea if this is a Norn specific affliction but whatever it is it's bloody annoying & I will never 100% the map because I cannot be reasonably expected to complete a jump puzzle to a vista if all I can see is my own ass.

If you have the system specs to run the game on full settings then you are truly lucky as it is an astoundingly beautiful world out there. I can hit those settings but it drops my FPS to 4, and so I only do it for screen shot moments ... but holy crap is it ever beautiful out there!

There are some balance issues that I hope get worked out soon. While dungeons are fun being obliterated in one hit is not, especially when you can't target properly with party supports. Also some class balancing and tweaking needs to be done. I'm running an Ele right now & at level 70 I cannot in any way, shape, or form, compare to a level 70 Warrior. While I rely on AoE dmg my defensive capabilities lack to the point that I have to constantly run (and constantly pull things out of my AoE dmg) OR I could not move as much and die. Meanwhile the husband takes down 3 of the same mob, dealing three times as much AoE dmg as I do in half the time & taking less than 10% off his health & without having to dodge AT ALL.

^ I have tried all weapon combinations across all elements - thus far Fire spec with dagger primary and focus offhand offers great dmg output with half decent self reliability, but still a fart in the wind in comparison to a Warrior. I understand by concept a warrior is less squishy than a caster, but by concept an ele is also supposed to outdo the warrior with AoE, no?

At this point in time I think if anyone out there wants to faceroll GW2 I'd recommend making a warrior.

For alternate pwnage go for Rangers - you don't die nearly as easy as casters and you can still kill 95% of what you're fighting even when knocked on your ass.

Anyway ... two vastly different games. I knew that, I'm not surprised by THAT, I'm just disappointed by some of the poor choices ANet made with the mechanics & am hoping they get fixed.

I hope anyone who's sitting on the sidelines, being indecisive about whether or not to pick up the game, realizes that regardless of what you read here or anywhere else you'll still form your own view once you actually play the game. So long as you remember that 1) it is a different beast than GW1 and 2) it is designed from the ground up for SOLO play then you will not suffer the severe and often catastrophic shock & disappointment than many have experienced.

For all the few things that I'm hoping they address you'll notice ... those things are quite few. The list of grieviances is small, and generally similar for most, as compared to the list of improvements.

If you haven't tried the game then try not to be judgemental, keep your expectations realistic to the information you've been given, and give it a chance. It might just be your new favourite thing.

If not at least you'll be able to write an informed review.

----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

The problem with GW2 is that it is neither skill nor gear grinding. It's EXP grinding. There is literally nothing you can do to beat something that is level 50 when you are level 40, and you are lucky to beat it at level 45. It's the GW1 level-based crit formula, except even stronger and causing the lower levels to get reverse-crits ("glancing blows") which basically make fighting anything other than your level +-2 worthless. Go ahead, try and kill a 10k enemy when you do 30 damage per hit and they do 1k.

TL;DR, GW2 gives you a huge world and then locks you into 2% of it at any given time. Compare this to GW1 where 90% of the game was available at level 20. GW2 should have kept lvl 20 as the cap, but DERP MMO DERP.

WvW is actually the one thing I have hope for being half-decent with coordinated play (I doubt we will see much of that though...). PvP in GW2, OTOH, is a laughable piece of shit with a small map and only 3 cap points.

I just wanted to piont out that GW1, at level 20 (max), gives you access to all areas of the game except starter points in Factions and Prophecies.

Comparatively

GW2, at level 80 (max), gives you access to all areas of the game except for personal plot lines you didn't choose to follow.

Where, precisely, is the difference? You don't like the amount of levels? It's easy to get to 80, there's tons of level 80's running around already and it's really no big deal. Compared to how quickly you can power level to 20 in GW1 it might be slightly slower to get to 80 in GW2 but still the point remains the same. At max level you have access to the whole game, in both games, so I don't know where you were going with that at all.

Higher level mobs obviously do more dmg, and obviously have higher armor & obviously will be harder for you to kill. However it is not impossible to kill things 5 levels higher .... quite possible, very easy if you employ some tactics. Cakewalk if you aren't alone. Perhaps your tactics need a little work, or maybe you should reroll an easier class for solo play (until they get around to better class balancing) like a Warrior or Ranger ... not trying to take shots at you, I have no idea what you're playing with, but from personal experience the caster classes have a real hard & slow learning curve before they reach more functionality & there are some rather large balancing issues that need to be addressed. If you're playing one of the squishier or weaker classes you may have more fun with one of the OP ones, but just be prepared for the nerfbat to hit them - I feel that's more likely to happen than the others being buffed.

I hear necros are great at high levels, too, but haven't got around to playing one yet.

Kunder · Sep 15, 2012, 03:33 AM // 03:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by obastable

I just wanted to piont out that GW1, at level 20 (max), gives you access to all areas of the game except starter points in Factions and Prophecies.

Comparatively

GW2, at level 80 (max), gives you access to all areas of the game except for personal plot lines you didn't choose to follow.

Where, precisely, is the difference? You don't like the amount of levels? It's easy to get to 80, there's tons of level 80's running around already and it's really no big deal. Compared to how quickly you can power level to 20 in GW1 it might be slightly slower to get to 80 in GW2 but still the point remains the same. At max level you have access to the whole game, in both games, so I don't know where you were going with that at all.

No... GW2 is far, far slower. I can get to lvl 20 in about 5 hours in GW1. It takes closer to 100 hours in GW2 (~60-80 hours on average I would estimate). Thats 60-80 mind-numbing hours of level grinding. Lets make this clear: I can have every single profession in GW1 at max level faster than I can have a single one in GW2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obastable

Higher level mobs obviously do more dmg, and obviously have higher armor & obviously will be harder for you to kill. However it is not impossible to kill things 5 levels higher .... quite possible, very easy if you employ some tactics. Cakewalk if you aren't alone. Perhaps your tactics need a little work, or maybe you should reroll an easier class for solo play (until they get around to better class balancing) like a Warrior or Ranger ... not trying to take shots at you, I have no idea what you're playing with, but from personal experience the caster classes have a real hard & slow learning curve before they reach more functionality & there are some rather large balancing issues that need to be addressed. If you're playing one of the squishier or weaker classes you may have more fun with one of the OP ones, but just be prepared for the nerfbat to hit them - I feel that's more likely to happen than the others being buffed.

Ohh I'm not saying it's (entirely) impossible. I'm saying its stupid and useless. The XP bonus from doing so doesn't outweigh taking 10x as long to work. I have actually killed enemies over 10 levels above me through semi-exploits. The problem is that it's enemies flat out cheating on the game mechanics. It's not higher health or armor, it's a simple scale of when your level < enemy level you get glancing blows and the enemy gets crits.

The effect of this is that you are funneled into a narrow corridor of the game until you have XP grinded enough to get to the next narrow corridor. Compare to GW1 where you finish the tutorial, reach level 20, and can go ANYWHERE. From the beginning.

DiogoSilva · Sep 15, 2012, 12:13 PM // 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

No... GW2 is far, far slower. I can get to lvl 20 in about 5 hours in GW1. It takes closer to 100 hours in GW2 (~60-80 hours on average I would estimate). Thats 60-80 mind-numbing hours of level grinding. Lets make this clear: I can have every single profession in GW1 at max level faster than I can have a single one in GW2.

The effect of this is that you are funneled into a narrow corridor of the game until you have XP grinded enough to get to the next narrow corridor. Compare to GW1 where you finish the tutorial, reach level 20, and can go ANYWHERE. From the beginning.

We haven't played the same GW1 nor the same GW2.

Grinding? Do you know what you should do while you're leveling to 80? You should do the exact same thing you would do in GW1 at level 20: play the game normally.

I'm currently level 77 in a level 60 area, and I haven't grinded once yet. I've been playing the game normally, although I admit I'm a perfectionist and have been exploring all maps to 100% whenever I can and crafting to max, and I overleved 20 levels without grinding once. Do you know what is more of a grinding? Going back to a area to repeat everything you have done for the sake of a vanquish. But that was in GW1, GW2 fixes and drastically improves the meaning of exploration.

Unless the game ends at level 20 for you, which clearly doesn't, the extra levels are just that, an extra, that keeps quests rewards more meaningful.

GW1 was never a sandbox style of game when it comes to exploration. Are people forgetting about the existence of Prophecies? Outside of specific runs, the entire game was extremely linear, with most of maps consistitng of roads connected with each other in a web. You only reached max level 70-80% in (unless, guess what, you grinded), and you only had access to each new area once at a time.

This is not even comparable to GW2, where you start with five towns and five initial areas unlocked to you, the next 10 levels means more 3-4 areas to explore, and each 10 after that unlocks 2-3 more.

Not even Eye of the North, which gave you three racial areas at choice for your level 20s, doesn't even compares to the five racial areas GW2 gives at level 1s, and by the time you've fully explored one and only one of those five, you're already high enough to unlock the next set of maps.

Kunder · Sep 15, 2012, 12:16 PM // 12:16

How cute, a GW2 apologist trying to pretend that 80 hours of leveling isn't grind.

DiogoSilva · Sep 15, 2012, 12:21 PM // 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

How cute, a GW2 apologist trying to pretend that 80 hours of leveling isn't grind.

How cute, a post that completely disregards the arguments of another person, simply limiting to call them a fanboy. Yet, you still have to explain how leveling while playing the game normally is a grind.

The grinding I've seen in GW2, has been event grinding for exotic gear after level 80, or farming for crafting materials.

dagrdagaz · Sep 15, 2012, 01:41 PM // 13:41

My current 5y old gaming notebook died (the graphics card).
So i now was like i has to buy a new one.
I was looking for a new good gaming notebook, however there r none that i liked atm.
So, i settled with a way cheaper gaming notebook that hindside luckily plays GW2 smoothly at Low settings.

I created a few caster characters and a norn ranger.
A good thing i decided to start playing with the Ranger, as according to an above post Warrior and Ranger are the better classes to play/start with atm.
My Ranger is lvl9 atm and has done Hoelbrak and the lower part of Wayfarer Hills.

Bad things sofar:
The one thing i dislike most atm is the fast respawning of foes.
There have been a few times when it took some more time to kill foes in front of me, i got attacked in the back by the last foe(s) i just killed.
Sofar wasnt a big problem, but i just dont like it.
For the moment waypoint travel and repair costs are ok, but i know i will dislike it when they become more or to expensive.
GW1 had banners near gateways saying where they would lead to. Couldnt find those in GW2.
It took me like half an hour to find the Home Instance in The Great Lodge in Hoelbrak, and only found it after i found a video on YouTube showing me what the entrance looked like.

Good things sofar:
I am liking the Ranger class sofar, with the pets.
For now i settled with an Axe/Torch combo.
Somewhat to my surprise i find the graphics quality at low settings acceptable to good enough.
The HoM rewards r nice, dont like or use all, but what i use is nice

I really like the skin rewards r unlimited.
Already went back a few times to get some weapon skins anew when i found a better weapon (from the same class).

Kunder · Sep 15, 2012, 02:11 PM // 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiogoSilva

How cute, a post that completely disregards the arguments of another person, simply limiting to call them a fanboy. Yet, you still have to explain how leveling while playing the game normally is a grind.

The grinding I've seen in GW2, has been event grinding for exotic gear after level 80, or farming for crafting materials.

If you think 80 hours of leveling isn't a grind then your argument is invalid immediately. Sorry, it's the truth. 80 hours of leveling, for a *single* character, is a massive, ridiculous amount of grind. Maybe in MMOtard world 80 hours is nothing but in the real world that's months of play chasing XP.

CE Devilman · Sep 15, 2012, 04:57 PM // 16:57

well a few rules in gw2...and U make it

1.jump to the mist and portal to la..save U copper
2.dont enter a lvl 25-30 place if U are lvl 23-24...U get U ass handet to you
3.get the best "rare" armor/ wep ...it last longer and can take more dmg
4.get som cake/pie from AH..for 1-2 copper...its boost a lot and make lot of stuff better/easy
5. dont salv befor U hit lvl a lvl 50+ place..befor it sell armor/wep..or use it
6.move and hit..dont stand still..ever

DiogoSilva · Sep 15, 2012, 05:58 PM // 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

If you think 80 hours of leveling isn't a grind then your argument is invalid immediately. Sorry, it's the truth. 80 hours of leveling, for a *single* character, is a massive, ridiculous amount of grind. Maybe in MMOtard world 80 hours is nothing but in the real world that's months of play chasing XP.

You're thinking that grinding and leveling are the same thing, when they are not. Also, GW2 is different than other MMOs in this regard.

Grinding is a term used in video gaming to describe the process of engaging in repetitive tasks during video games. [1][2] The most common usage is in the context of MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft, Tibia, or Lineage [3] in which it is often necessary for a character to repeatedly kill AI-controlled monsters, using basically the same strategy over again to advance their character level to be able to access newer content.
~Wikipedia.

GW1 only has 20 levels, but you must still grind for a few things, especially for titles. Likewise, GW2 might have 80 levels, but they're so easy to get, and the means to get them are so diversified, that you can reach the level cap in two weeks by playing the game normally, aka, following the story, crafting, exploring, doing quests and events, having fun in WvW, gathering materials, getting achievements, etc.

There's no single time in GW2 where you must spend a whole day killing the same type of enemy over and over and over for the sake of leveling. In fact, it's a mathematical fact that killing enemies is generally a poor way to get experience, unless you're killing enemies that no player has killed for a long time, which in turn makes it impossible to grind, because the second time you kill them, you no longer will get that bonus.

I suggest you to try again and simply have fun playing the game. Go explore Tyria, gather materials (offers as much exp as killing) inbetween fights, join events around you, do some quests, follow the storyline when you can, go crafting for 10 minutes at the end of the day. You'll notice the levels will fly fast, and never will you have to dedicate to farming the same wolves over and over for a whole day.

Kunder · Sep 15, 2012, 07:12 PM // 19:12

MMOTards argument: Grinding is doing repetitive tasks like killing enemies for levels. But doing repetitive quests that involve killing enemies for levels, NOT GRINDING AT ALL LOLZ.

The only thing that really offers a secondary mode of character advancement (not just small bonuses that you get while killing things, i.e. everything else you listed) is WvW. But then WvW is screwed up because entering it early makes you half as effective as other players due to a lack of traits/equipment/money.

obastable · Sep 15, 2012, 08:40 PM // 20:40

Kunder, I get the feeling that we aren't playing the same game .... and if we are you are definitely doing something very very wrong.

It does not take 80 hours of grind to get to level 80. You can easily and successfully 100% zones that are more than 5 levels higher than you. Just because YOU cannot do it does not mean that quite a lot of the rest of us just magicked and imagined our way to top levels.

You are NOT locked in to a small part of the game world. You have instant access to 6 major cities & all of their linked zones. In fact you have access to ANY ZONE you want to walk your lazy ass to/through & the only thing that might get in your way is death but that's NO DIFFERENT than GW1 & yet at the same time very different because there are no doors or gates or whatever stopping you from proceeding, no XYZ quest or objective that must be completed before the gate magically opens. You can go ANYWHERE in the GW2 map that you are smart and tactful enough to get to.

Let's clarify this grind issue, k?

In GW1 you gain experience, and thereby gain levels, by 1 of 3 ways, all of which include killing things & all of which MUST BE DONE at some point in time to reach max level:

1 - quests
2 - missions/dungeons
3 - kill things

In GW2 you gain experience, and thereby gain levels, by 1 of 10 ways, none of which are mandatory in and of themselves to reach max level:

1 - personal story quests
2 - heart quests
3 - events
4 - crafting
5 - gathering shit
6 - vistas
7 - points of interest
8 - finding waypoints
9 - combine the prior 3 & #2 and 100% areas for added reward
10 - kill things

If you *gasp* do all of them at the same time you'll hit level 80 REALLY FAST! Holy shit, just imagine if you popped an EXP booster it'd go even faster!

By your estimates of 80 hours to level 80 we're gaining approximately 1 level per hour if we "grind" our way there, to which I really must laugh at your ineffectiveness. If we take your "rushed" estimate of maybe 60 hours to level 80 we're still gaining quite slowly in comparison to reality. You can realistically craft your way through 20 levels in less than 1 hour, so we're still looking at your assessment as being 1 level per hour & hell yes you must really be doing it wrong.

Please don't respond with "whaaa fanboi" because I'm not a fanboy, I don't have a penis, and GW2 is not nearly as fantastic or innovative as GW1 was and remains to be. I'm just irritated by your complaining that just because you can't do something means it must be impossible for the rest of us. Stop whining and realize that if so many are being successful where you are failing then perhaps you should re-evaluate your methods and make some adjustments rather than insisting the rest of us that we're OBVIOUSLY wrong and hallucinating and just must be making it all up to make you look bad. Like SERIOUSLY WTF was I thinking doing all that LSD back in college?

Kaleban · Sep 15, 2012, 09:42 PM // 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunder

If you think 80 hours of leveling isn't a grind then your argument is invalid immediately. Sorry, it's the truth. 80 hours of leveling, for a *single* character, is a massive, ridiculous amount of grind. Maybe in MMOtard world 80 hours is nothing but in the real world that's months of play chasing XP.

That 80 hours of leveling is what's called playing the game.

Leveling is a secondary reward of playing the game and accomplishing things, from killing enemies, crafting, to just rezzing NPCs left and right.

Once again, its 80 hours of PLAYING, at which point you have a maxed out character. And can then go play anywhere in the game which you might have missed on the way there because the game is so massive.

Grind would be having to replicate the same "path" to get to the max level. So far, GW2 requires no repetition to achieve 80, unless you count killing more than one creature repetitive, in which case you probably shouldn't be playing RPGs in general.

If you don't understand the difference between grinding out 80 levels and playing the game naturally at which point you achieve level 80, then you're just confused. Yes, GW2 takes longer to level up a character to the max level, but that's part of the design. There's also a tonne more to do in GW2 than in GW1, from questing to just exploration, so I really don't understand how you can classify playing the game as grinding.