Curse

Alya · Dec 16, 2006, 03:22 PM // 15:22

I understand the frustration of the OP, though.

I still read and flip through the old GW Prophecies guide, with great pleasure, even though its information is greatly outdated now. Possibly I am one of those few people who like to hold in their hands a beautifully published book.

Knightsaber Sith · Dec 16, 2006, 03:35 PM // 15:35

I think everyone needs to stop saying why they have a grudge against the prima guides and posting a link to wiki. We know all that; it has nothing to do with this thread. If you see that a bunch of people have already said it; don't jump on the bandwagon and say it again as though it were the latest fad >_<

Myria · Dec 16, 2006, 03:59 PM // 15:59

You can't take the wiki out with you to read whilst waiting for an appointment, at least not easily.

You can't take the wiki with you to the restroom... Again, at least not easily.

The wiki is often excruciatingly slow to load, and not always wholly trustworthy or clear.

Often when I've needed to look something up I didn't care about the exact details, I wanted a general idea of what a skill does or where I've got to go to finish a secondary. A lot of things in the game don't change, but even for those that do the guide most often still sufices quite nicely. Or, at least the Prophecies one did, the Anet-written Factions one is so atrociously written and poorly edited that it can really only be recommended for the art and lore.

Speaking of art and lore, for myself those alone make the books worth having.

Anyone who thinks there is no Nightfall guide because Anet and/or Prima suddenly discovered that the game changes so they were going to do you a favor and not print one... Well... Please seek help. Clinical Naiveté can be treated these days, generally with extensive ECT, regular administration of Thorazine, and hourly Three-Card Monte sessions.

Rusty Deth · Dec 16, 2006, 05:50 PM // 17:50

After Factions I said to myself " why they even make this guide?"

Even Prophecies guide was messed up after the game was out a month.

Truth be said I got mine for Factions cause it was discounted for buying the game too. But I just liked the maps. Same for the Prophecies one.

But being the owner of both guides I always used the search engine at guildwiki. Thats faster then paging thru a guide you got no room for on your desk.

In conclusion I too was kind of pissed that there was no Nightfall guide, but honestly all I wanted was the big poster sized map to hang on my wall.

XvArchonvX · Dec 16, 2006, 05:55 PM // 17:55

I always find it sad when people start bashing A-net for little meaningless things, especially when they don't comprehend what it really takes to make a game like GW. It's even sadder to see that the OP is crying over a guide that would inevitably be worse than Guild Wiki (even with the flaws that it might have). Every Prima guide made to date has really been next to useless. Take into account that GW is an online game that is constantly changing and it becomes clear that a guide that never updates for a game that constantly updates is really just a waste.

TheSonofDarwin · Dec 16, 2006, 06:07 PM // 18:07

If you want a guide, do this:

Have your brother, wife, mother, etc. take a piece of tape and cover up Prophecies or Factions (whichever guide you currently own) and write Nightfall on it. Can even wrap it up and put it in the mailbox if you want to go all out.

When you receive your now Nightfall guide, force yourself to not look at it for a week.

After that week, go to town reading it. It is now just as accurate as any Nightfall guide that could be produced and you just saved yourself some money (minus the cost of the tape).

Scutilla · Dec 16, 2006, 06:57 PM // 18:57

I have to agree with the above posters. The Prophecies guide was based on a beta version of the game, so it wasn't even accurate when the game first came out, never mind a month or a year later. The skill descriptions are horribly out of date, the mission guides are vague to the point of uselessness, and the appendices are so full of misinformation you have to wonder just what beta version they were based on.

The Factions guide was a little cleaner (plus it had a nice beefy lore section), but the same complaints remain. The mission guides are even worse than in Prophecies (with maybe 1 paragraph of useful info), and the skill and item lists are similarly out of date.

One of the few good things about the guides were the maps, both the individual area maps in the guide and the poster maps (I currently have both hanging on my wall). However, any fansite worth its salt will have a maps section, and we got a Nightfall map in the CE (smaller than the Prima maps, unfortunately), so I'm not complaining.

I'm glad ANet figured out how useless the things were- why make people pay for a printed guide, when they have a loyal army of fans willing to compile this information for free on fansites which are a hundred times more complete and updated within hours of a new build going live? (Of course, I think the fact that past sales were poor due to most people using those online fansites instead of the Prima guides in the first place had something to do with it as well

)

SamuraiKai · Dec 16, 2006, 07:19 PM // 19:19

Truth be told. The only time game guides are any use is when the game is static and doesn't change. Only online information sources like GuildWiki are ever useful for online games since the information can be updated regularly. I mean with the Domain of Anguish were a game guide released when Nightfall came out, there would have been a whole load of threads complaining about how out of date their guides are now.

Myria · Dec 16, 2006, 08:04 PM // 20:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scutilla

I'm glad ANet figured out how useless the things were- why make people pay for a printed guide, when they have a loyal army of fans willing to compile this information for free on fansites which are a hundred times more complete and updated within hours of a new build going live? (Of course, I think the fact that past sales were poor due to most people using those online fansites instead of the Prima guides in the first place had something to do with it as well

)

Ummm, or, far more likely, as with the Factions manual itself the guide that was written included areas and features not included in the released version of the game. Releasing a complete guide for an incomplete game would have been problematic at best, thus the guide was canceled. Since the only time the guides would sell well is around game release, it's highly unlikely there will ever be a guide even assuming the game now includes everything that was in the guide -- and, frankly, it would be foolish to take that assumption as a given.

While we will likely never know the particulars for sure, that is a far more plausible scenario.

generik · Dec 16, 2006, 08:04 PM // 20:04

Guildwiki.org

kthxbai

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhineasToke

I was concerned that there was no Nightfall guide to this point. I enjoy them, especially when looking closely at new weapons when they are being sold by players.

So I typed a note to Arena Net to see when it is available.

This was their reply;

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the Guild Wars Support Team.

We did not produce a Guild Wars Nightfall Strategy Guide, and one is not planned. While prior to the release of Guild Wars Nightfall we considered creating such a guide, we found that with the rapidly changing nature of the game, it was not be possible to produce a guide and release it within a reasonable time frame. Therefore, the project was cancelled and no guide was created.

We appreciate that players enjoy a strategy guide, and we have some ideas for a future project that will help fulfill that desire. We do not yet have formal plans in place, but we will share those with the community if we should make a decision to move forward with such a project.

Regards,

The Guild Wars Support Team

What crap. EVERY edition of Guild Wars is constantly changing. And there was NO problem releasing guides for the first two. I hate bull crap and condescending responses when I am willing to (along with tens of thousands worldwide) pay my good money for a guide.

I hope monkeys fly into their lunch room and piss in their lunch.

PhineasToke · Dec 17, 2006, 05:15 AM // 05:15

Sorry, I enjoy the guides. Cyas.

Griff Mon · Dec 17, 2006, 05:48 AM // 05:48

I like the shiny fold-out map with the scary girls with knives on the back.

Lady Lozza · Dec 17, 2006, 06:18 AM // 06:18

What people don't seem to be getting about this is that you can't take the internet to the toilet!!! The Prima guide was basically my Cleo (my bf's Ralph). Not having one makes my long bathroom visits very boring...

Rainith · Dec 17, 2006, 07:41 AM // 07:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Lozza

What people don't seem to be getting about this is that you can't take the internet to the toilet!!! The Prima guide was basically my Cleo (my bf's Ralph). Not having one makes my long bathroom visits very boring...

Um, laptop w/wifi?

Sanji · Dec 17, 2006, 08:54 AM // 08:54

Hate to say it, but it -is- pretty absurd in this day an age to want a game guide.

I don't think I've ever immediately needed to know where to cap an elite at while going to the bathroom.

Nor can I say I've had to scout the layout of Hell's Precipice while waiting in line at the grocery store GEARING UP FOR AN OBLIVIOUSLY EPIC BATTLE.

Dr Strangelove · Dec 17, 2006, 09:04 AM // 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanji

I don't think I've ever immediately needed to know where to cap an elite at while going to the bathroom.

What, you're going to tell me you've never animated a flesh golem in there?

gasmaskman · Dec 17, 2006, 09:13 AM // 09:13

I want mine - it helps me remember how the old skills used to be.

blkadr · Dec 17, 2006, 09:23 AM // 09:23

maybe one for the sardelac...maybe instead of a strategy guide, there could be something published with artwork/lore/big posters/maps and other things that don't change with updates. I don't just read on the bathroom, there is a noticable difference between reading something a flickering screen, and on paper, and I certainly enjoy reading from paper far more than with a laptop burning a layer off of my legs. I'm sure there's lots of lore and art that was made for nightfall but never made it to the manual. I don't think that guides are 'outdated,' just that the material they carry may need to change.

Kotetsu Rain · Dec 17, 2006, 10:07 AM // 10:07

I always liked the lifezised maps...

Jade · Dec 17, 2006, 12:11 PM // 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kotetsu Rain

I always liked the lifezised maps...

Hear Hear! This is the main, and one of the only, reasons I buy the guides. Sure I could download a .bmp version of the map, load it up and then load GW. But like many of us out there, I don't have an uber leet computer that allows for fast alt tabbing. It still alt tabs, but it takes its sweet ass time doing it. How about, at the very least make a guide that has a map and a list of builds or something, maybe even strategies for maps and pvp? And before yet another "ooo lookit me I know about wiki" guy crops up, I know about wiki. I use wiki and enjoy wiki. But wiki ain't got no map I can hang on my wall for quick and easy access. I know that I could print out a map as well, but think about it before you suggest that. It's be something close to 10 sheets of paper that I would have to either tape together on my wall or have it laminated or something. Problem is, I'm lazy and more than willing to pay the $20 for the game guide just for the map.