Curse

Zahr Dalsk · Sep 14, 2009, 06:25 PM // 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Alvito

But this is a relative question! Other events clearly drive a lot more activity and are more popular. Compare to all the districts that are created on an HA weekend, or all the districts created (in more than one outpost) on an EotN reputation weekend.

And yet it's still a lot better than things like HA weekends, skill capture XP weekends, hero battle weekends, GvG weekends, hero battle weekends, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Alvito

I haven't been on to observe personally, but "many scores" sounds like a reach based on observation from past events.

Yes, clearly you haven't been on personally... because many scores is quite accurate for Sahlaja alone. At any given time there were around 100 people on throughout the american districts alone, and these people changed a lot. Making many scores actually... an understatement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Alvito

Again, I'm not saying that no one wanted this event. I'm saying that three months is too soon to repeat this event, that the majority of the population would have been much more excited about most alternatives, and that this is wasteful.

As far as I'm concerned, three months was quite good. Late, even. I'm glad ArenaNet didn't listen to people like you ^____________________^

Targren · Sep 15, 2009, 06:50 PM // 18:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Alvito

So I produce a simple example - if I could costlessly give you something you obviously want and don't, I'm destroying value. There's no difference between burning the money rather than giving it to you and the bad weekend event in economic terms. Burning the money is completely ridiculous - that's the point. So is arguing that the bad weekend event is fine. Both are inefficient and wasteful.

So, to modify your original analogy into one that fits...

She's got $1000 to give away to people who drive blue cars. You drive a red car, so you think she should burn the money instead.

Martin Alvito · Sep 15, 2009, 10:47 PM // 22:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Targren

So, to modify your original analogy into one that fits...

She's got $1000 to give away to people who drive blue cars. You drive a red car, so you think she should burn the money instead.

Doesn't work on a number of levels. The point of the original analogy was to refute the "It's free, if you don't want it, don't QQ" argument. It doesn't apply to the broader question of "Should there be an SS/LB weekend?" It never was meant to. All it's there to do is to illustrate that bad giveaways hurt people when superior, costless alternatives exist. If you insist on taking it out of context, then of course you're going to have a problem with it.

I am not suggesting (nor have I) that no one wanted the event. The contention was always that most people did not want the event. The argument is simple: the titles don't require much gameplay time outside of doubling, this is the third time this year that the event has come around, the titles don't confer much of a gameplay advantage and the game has been in release for three years, more than ample time to max the title.

In short, another SS/LB weekend so quickly is overkill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zahr Dalsk

Yes, clearly you haven't been on personally... because many scores is quite accurate for Sahlaja alone. At any given time there were around 100 people on throughout the american districts alone, and these people changed a lot. Making many scores actually... an understatement.

More than I would have expected, but this doesn't compare to the 10-12+ districts created during an HA weekend. The list of events you don't like suggests that you don't PvP or have any knowledge about the relative popularity of those events. I reiterate, this is a relative question. Your preferences prove that somebody wanted the event; they don't prove that it was efficient overall.

I'll give you that SS/LB is probably more popular than the Vanquish, skill capping and green item PvE events. There are some truly terrible events in the PvE set. (Although we might say the same about the HB PvP event.)

But this is a problem with the set of available bonus events, and has little to do with whether or not another SS/LB weekend so soon was a good idea. People like things that drop, they like points toward time-consuming grind titles (eg: Treasure Hunter, Wisdom, Luxon/Kurzick, EotN), and I bet they'd like it if Vanquishing were easier (this weekend, we've marked the patrol patterns on your 'U' map!). More options that address those titles would be good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zahr Dalsk

As far as I'm concerned, three months was quite good. Late, even. I'm glad ArenaNet didn't listen to people like you ^____________________^

Which is nice, but doesn't address the broader point. You've proven that changing the event wouldn't be Pareto-efficient, but we knew that. The argument has always been that it would be societally maximizing to substitute a different event and run this one later when it would be more popular.