Curse

FoxBat · Jan 01, 2007, 09:07 PM // 21:07

I don't know if it explains all the glitchiness, but the district you're in needs to exist before the event starting time, else no event will spawn. Some higher-number districts may be spawned after the fact.

Saraphim · Jan 01, 2007, 09:10 PM // 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarevok Thordin

The presents up on the walls are hilerious.

The ; and *space* spammers are running into the walls like the Cyote in Road Runner flying into a cliff face.

Hah, yeh. I tried that twice before I decided to stop being greedy.

Sli Ander · Jan 01, 2007, 09:13 PM // 21:13

I thought it was funny that 4 presents got spawned behind a gate. Everybody tried to get them,but the guard wouldn't let them in

Enchanted Warrior · Jan 01, 2007, 10:51 PM // 22:51

Few facts to be considered by some here...

1) GW/Anet is NOT required to do anything for a holiday, they do so at their own choosing.

2) The gifts/presents/loot spawing is IMAGINARY, why sweat it?

3) The idea is to have fun, not get as many presents as you can OR be as big a jerk as possible (although the latter is becoming the most popular new profession in game).

4) Memorize this and say it over and over..

"It's only a game, it's only a game"

Me, I'm done whining about the game, I'd rather chase my girlfriend. It's much more profitable

Curse You · Jan 01, 2007, 10:56 PM // 22:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrk247

I think I was actually in dis 78 the first round and I got zip, but it was ok because I got to spend an hour or so talking to some people even though I was kind of mad that I didn't get the hat, but most likely A-Net will extend the event because they know they messed up. And if not it's not the end of the world. I missed the original tengu day even though I had all the naga fangs and because A-Net decided to end it like 20 minutes early, but I have to deal with it it's not like you will be at any imbalance in GW if you don't get a couple hats. I also missed the Dragon event, but that was because of vacation.

p.s. I want my dragon mask...

There was a collector in Shing Jea Monastery for a week after the event. You should have been able to at least get on a some point during that week.

-Loki- · Jan 02, 2007, 12:22 AM // 00:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryFox

I was just in Kamadan 131 and I was there ON TIME!

Nothing happened a district full of the big "G" supporters and nothing happened.

Its now 12:45 and still nothing.

The game lasts for around 15 minutes. If the avatars aren't there within, say, 2 minutes of the scheduled time, change districts. Why doesn't anyone ever think of this?

jrk247 · Jan 02, 2007, 01:02 AM // 01:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curse You

There was a collector in Shing Jea Monastery for a week after the event. You should have been able to at least get on a some point during that week.

Yeah I saw that but I was on a vacation from June to the end of July, but hopfully they will have it again this year.

Gaile Gray · Jan 02, 2007, 01:04 AM // 01:04

Let me explain what is happening, to the best of our knowledge. I called Mike O'Brien (ArenaNet cofounder and programmer). Mike called Mark Young (programmer who kindly offered to help), and the three of us had a conversation on the issue of some districts not having avatars, meaning that the hats and presents did not appear. What we learned is this: If you are in a district that spawns after the event has begun, the avatars will not appear. Mark established that by being in District 159, where there was an avatar, and then going to 160, 161, and 162, which spawned after the event had begun. Sure enough, 160+ did not have the event. That is confirmed by all I've been told by players.

So it appears that this non-appearance is happening only for districts created after the finales begin. It doesn't matter if you stay in a district for hours afterwards, what does matters is when the district was created, and it must be created prior to the event's start.

Mark further checked the code and learned that this is intended. With the offset timing -- every third hour in Lion's Arch, quarter-past in Kamadan -- the program was coded so that those districts that spawn for latecomers are not set to contain an event. This is to prevent zone jumping by people trying to get all items in all zones in a single event. This is a fair and reasonable prevention, I think, since the offset timing has been put in place. If you consider that some accommodation has been made for multiple zones in a single hour, and if you consider the Festival Hat NPC makes taking all characters to all events, then zone jumping really shouldn't be part of the deal, too.

The answer? Easy!

Be in a district at least 10 minutes before the scheduled event start time. For the upcoming finales, this means:
- Be in Lion's Arch by at least 10 minutes before the hours of 6 and 9 p.m. and Midnight PST (2:00, 5:00, 8:00 GMT.)
- Be in Kamadan by at least 10 minutes before the starting time of 6:15 and 9:15 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. PST (2:15, 5:15, 8:15 GMT).
- As many districts as are needed will be spawned, and all that are spawned before the start of the event will receive the full event.

If you follow that recommendation and find that the event still does not spawn, please share the event hour (and your timezone), the district number, and when you arrived in that district. According to all research, the suggestions above will assure that you attend a live event that is, really, live.

Thank you for your patience, and for understanding how this works and accepting that it's really not broken, really isn't a bug, and that missing the event is completely avoidable if you are there on time!

manitoba1073 · Jan 02, 2007, 01:19 AM // 01:19

So in other words you now have to attand all events if you want all the hats. No more getting all hats in 1 setting. Sucks for people who dont have 12 hours+ to get all 4 hats.

Neo Nugget · Jan 02, 2007, 01:26 AM // 01:26

im working to get my last 2 hats.been workin hard all day at getting them

well....not really but the freezie helmet is the best helmet by far in my opinion.

Enchanted Warrior · Jan 02, 2007, 02:59 AM // 02:59

What's hard about it? My friend went to LA at 9:00 PM, then to Kamadan at 9:15 PM and got both hats. She waited thru each event, and even got presents at both.

*shrug*

Feminist Terrorist · Jan 02, 2007, 02:59 AM // 02:59

Thank you for providing some solid info, Gaile. I, for one, really appreciate that.

And kudos to the dev team for implementing assigned wintersday gifts. Good call.

AW Lore · Jan 02, 2007, 03:19 AM // 03:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by manitoba1073

So in other words you now have to attand all events if you want all the hats. No more getting all hats in 1 setting. Sucks for people who dont have 12 hours+ to get all 4 hats.

i managed to get 3 hats in one sitting, couldnt get the last one because a guildmember who was with me and was party leader was slacking around and forgot to go district jumping

=HT=Ingram · Jan 02, 2007, 03:30 AM // 03:30

I got my four in the first 3 events, and well over 150 presents total. Then I went to bed and then went to work. Now I'm back for the last few... Is it really that hard to do this? I don't think so. Go to LA low district to wait. Check Kamadan top dist at that time BEFORE EVENT. Get your hat in LA. Now skip presents in that dist and go to Kamadan. the dist you looked up before the event. In a few mins or right as you enter the event should be starting there too. Get that hat and do your looting... after about 15 mis of looting surf around districts to get more presents. Some districts have less people looting then others. Thats how to maximize your loot at timeouts.

Rok · Jan 02, 2007, 03:42 AM // 03:42

At the most you only need to wait 3 hours.

Get to the first event on the hour in LA, get your hat and head over to Kamadan for the :15 after event there. 3 hours later do the same thing for the other 2 hats.

If you are greedy and stand around in LA grabbing presents and miss the Kamadan event that is your own fault.

I got all 4 of my hats in this way. You can stand around in Kamadan grabbing AFKer's presents as well as your own to make up for those you missed in LA.

manitoba1073 · Jan 02, 2007, 03:43 AM // 03:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by AW Lore

i managed to get 3 hats in one sitting, couldnt get the last one because a guildmember who was with me and was party leader was slacking around and forgot to go district jumping

I never said anything about it being hard. I alrdy got all 4 hats for both my accounts as i have lots of time.

I was however saying it sucks for those that dont.

[DemoniC][EVL] · Jan 02, 2007, 07:12 AM // 07:12

wow I just... wow. It's great that the good people of Anet understand that you 'only need to be there on time', and only need to have 12 hours to get all the hats...
Oh well... at least I managed to get 3 eventually thanks to my brother playing for me.

Lets Get to Healing · Jan 02, 2007, 07:50 AM // 07:50

I got all 4 hats on 2 accounts within the first 3 events. I could have gottent hem on the second, but stood for the presents.

freekedoutfish · Jan 02, 2007, 11:16 AM // 11:16

I think most people here have shown that the event wasnt flawed at all.

Gaile has stated that the glitch was intended to prevent people exploiting the event.

And people have also stated that it wasnt time consuming to get all four 4 hats. You just had to find two time slots. Then in the first one go to LA and then Kam in one run. Then in the second one go to LA and then Kam.

You could get two in the morning and then two at night.

Or just get all 4 on the night time if/when you had 3 hours to spare.

I think Anet did this event well this year. They obviously set Kam's event 15 minutes behind LA's event to let people jump from one to the other, to save them waiting hours on end.

I say Anet did a good job. I just laugh at all those who didnt seem to grasp the whole circle thing.

The number of people shouting;

"How do you get hats?",
"What time are they coming?",
"Why are you in the middle circle",
"Is the middle cirle grench?",
"Is the middle circle red?",
"What are the circles for?",
"Does this cost Shards".

And the people trying to con others, making them think you needed a shard to get a hat.

Anet you need to put an NPC or a huge sign in the cities next year so people can read what to do, BEFORE grench and Dywana arrive.

Plus a count-down would be nice, so people dont ask "how long now" every 2 seconds.

It saves alot of annoyance and people having to explain the same thing over and over again.

ken71880 · Jan 04, 2007, 07:06 AM // 07:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchanted Warrior

Few facts to be considered by some here...

1) GW/Anet is NOT required to do anything for a holiday, they do so at their own choosing.

2) The gifts/presents/loot spawing is IMAGINARY, why sweat it?

3) The idea is to have fun, not get as many presents as you can OR be as big a jerk as possible (although the latter is becoming the most popular new profession in game).

4) Memorize this and say it over and over..

"It's only a game, it's only a game"

Me, I'm done whining about the game, I'd rather chase my girlfriend. It's much more profitable

Here here, (only for me it's my wife)