Curse

Malice Black · May 07, 2006, 03:46 AM // 03:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akhilleus

i did everything with my first two characters, then skipped virtually all the content between northern shiverpeaks and crystal desert on about 5 characters, then went back and made my necro, who i played through the entire game with again to relive the "newb" experience.
it was one of the most fun times i have ever had.
my point?
you should be able to choose whether or not you want to skip the content; please anet, make the gates account-unlockable. i do not relish doing the same 15,000 booring assed linear primary quests that lead me halfway across the map to open a door that i could have gotten too in under 3 minutes by taking a party of henchmen.
i could understand it if the game content was absolutly massive, and skipping around would totally disorient people; or if the plotline was something out of a masterfully written mystery novel. but neither is the case.
the actual game content is rather small and dull, and they made the bataan-death-march primary quests to substitute for the lack of actual game playability, and the plotline is about as endearing as a visit to the dentist.
its all fine and dandy the first time through; heck, maybee even the seccond, but for those of us who heavily endorse this game and own 2, 3, or even 4 or more accounts, with multiple characters (i have 11 that are currently lvl 20) the prospect of going through the same cut-and-dry primary quests that lack all forms of substance just for the sake of killing runners is ridiculous. and frankly, it makes this hardcore GW fan wonder if he will purchase chapter 3, if the company decides to resume such half-assed techniques to circumvent an inadequete game development.
dont get me wrong, guildwars is great...but what made it great was that you DIDNT have to do te same exact quests every single time you mad ea new character...unless of course you wanted too.

well said young man if i could be bothered to type that much it would have been along those lines

Loralai · May 07, 2006, 03:51 AM // 03:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akhilleus

well, what you have to realize the content, and the physical size of the factions map (which is probably between 1/3rd and 1/2 the size of prophecies) are limited compared to ch1; so in order to artificially increase the game content, and make the game seem longer, they made primary quests that lead you around in cricles for three hours, just to get to a city that would have taken you 15 secconds to fight too.

I agree. Artificial expansion.

Sanji · May 07, 2006, 03:52 AM // 03:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seissor

Ppl keep saying "keep gates locked, earn your passage, too many noobs otherwise" 0.o oh dont worry plenty of ppl suck regardless of having done mission, quest etc. Plenty of warriors went all "LEEE ROOOOOY!!!!" through acid taps and stood there just to die in some later missions. But hey they didnt get run so they must be smarter right?

Exactly.

Missions and quests are not some sort of idiot filter. All anyone needs is a little persistence to obtain or reach just about anything they want in Guild Wars.

CK0 · May 07, 2006, 03:55 AM // 03:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

OPEN exploration, not close it down more.

One of the fun aspects of PvE. EXPLORATION! Too bad they made Cantha so small.

Ozric · May 07, 2006, 04:44 AM // 04:44

You guys have some good points but at least for the moment i'm happy with the locks. what was getting to suck about Prophecies was the rampant running everywhere you went, hell there's guys now running Elona's Reach. One thing I'd love to have done is get a party together for Lornar's Pass and early in the game I hit up on a few groups that didn't quite make it through, but now it's just impossible to get a party with all the runners. It's gotten to where my fav place to hang out is in Tombs as it's always a good challenge for a pick up group and you don't have to worry about some tank just running away from the battle because,.. "the portal's real close,..i'ma run it". Gee guy, ever think maybe someone bought the game to play the damn thing?

I don't care for the locked gate thing either, but if you know a better way to suppress the runners, tell the devs. ANet didn't ruin the exploration experience, the runners did.

Tanstar · May 07, 2006, 05:04 AM // 05:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazzo

Keep the gates locked thats my view.

For once Anet did somthing right and some how should be implemented into the original too.As for the arguments there is ways to get to waypoints easyer without doing ALL quests just enough to move on to the next level. If you didnt want to play the game the way it was ment go play i suggest you move on and spit the dummy this was somthing i and many others were real pleased with lock gates 4tw.

Here's the problem with your "the way it was ment" to be played. This game is advertised as a RolePlaying game. It isn't a roleplaying game if you have to go from mission to mission in linear fashion. It's an action game. Morrowind defines RPG for me (haven't played Oblivion enough yet). I played the game for over a year before I even fooled with main quest. RPGs are about choices. The more styles of play available the more people are happy. I don't get why some of you that want to play everything in order care if others don't. My first character did every single quest I could find. I was working through quests with him on Factions, but kept getting lost in the maze or running into locked gates. That isn't fun. Rushing through missions to get to the end, skipping the quests, is what this encourages.

samifly · May 07, 2006, 07:01 AM // 07:01

Running, yahknow, actually makes since after the first time thru. If your worried about having a filter, have each city be "unlocked".

XxUberMonkeyxX · May 07, 2006, 07:45 AM // 07:45

ya RPGS are ment to be played however you want because your char is playing what ROLE you want him to play in the actual story, as for the locked gates ive had 2 chars gone through the same shit, its really boring and makes it hard to find groups in the later missions since alot of ppl cant get to them with all the primary quests and locked gates you have to go through

rollntider · May 07, 2006, 08:06 AM // 08:06

/signed

make it account unlockable. I have 2 accounts and dont look forward to every quest over and over again

Omni Spirit · May 08, 2006, 02:53 AM // 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollntider

make it account unlockable. I have 2 accounts and dont look forward to every quest over and over again

Agreed....this game is lame the first time around, imagine having to do it over again.

SAQ · May 08, 2006, 03:02 AM // 03:02

Death to runners and people being ran, I love it.

For people who just want to rush to the end-game contents, I laugh in your face! Haha =D

For the exploerers, I pity you =/

Hookecho · May 08, 2006, 03:52 AM // 03:52

Here is My problem with the locked gates. If you have a pug with people who are ahead of you and they come back to help get people up....someone in the PUG misses 1 step....somewhere in the chain and while the rest of the group goes thru....after spendign all that time to get there...the one guy is left standing there. I've seen it happen 3 times this weekend and I just got the damn game on friday. There is nothing that will exclude making groups other than the close friends you know, have some sort of vent, than breaking the group in half at the gates. I sure as hell didnt want to go back and do that entire string again to find the one point someone missed. If account-unlockable is not to be...then make it the party leader that has to have the unlock to proceed.

lg5000 · May 08, 2006, 04:11 AM // 04:11

The idea of locked gates is good and bad. Sure, it's frustrating that you explore and hit a locked gate. Being in a town/outpost and hearing "running to ... " is far more annoying (at least to me).

Then again, I just hit the problem last night. Character 1 has finished all missions, character two is being rushed through the game, I'm doing primary quests and missions only. Decide, because of the rush, I'm going back through Kurzick territory, as they're already speaking to me... didn't realise though that I needed 10k kurzick faction to get the quest to let me into eternal grove. I had, of course, converted some of that faction to amber so I could get the reward from other quests without loosing faction. So my second char took a nice walk over to eternal grove, only to be confronted by the fact that she can't enter the place... and now, I'm back to doing side quests to get faction.

But I can handle the frustration that locked gates bring with them and I do appreciate that it means you have to play the game to get anywhere.

btw, can someone explain to me what the point of getting run through the game is? What's the benefit?

TideSwayer · May 08, 2006, 04:15 AM // 04:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hookecho

Here is My problem with the locked gates. If you have a pug with people who are ahead of you and they come back to help get people up....someone in the PUG misses 1 step....somewhere in the chain and while the rest of the group goes thru....after spendign all that time to get there...the one guy is left standing there....

Ha ha. The picture of that situation in my mind right now is making me laugh out loud.

To be honest, I don't know if the design of Cantha could really support the unlockable gates. Everything is so cramped and it really doesn't take too long to get around going the primary path. I mean, even if you could run straight out of the city, where would you go to? There's not exactly a plethora of places to get to outside of the city either. No new FoW/UW area or anything. This is why I said earlier I'd probably just end up doing the primary quests in order anyways, even with the option to bypass gates. I need something to do.

These gates might be a flaw that Factions has to live with. (Bad design idea from the start.) I just hope ANet keeps in mind for the future chapters that a bigger mainland with multiple, available, routes is what people enjoy more than one straight twisted line in a cramped minimap. I like that the majority of the map is filled in this time, but not the way I'm made to go through it. Like i mentioned in a previous post in this thread, I love how Tyria has the option for people to get around the world just by using linked explorable areas that wrap around storyline mission areas. Chapter 3 should have more of that sort of mainland IMO.

No doubt players definitely need a way for subsequent Factions characters to skip the damn tutorial quests on Shing Jea island though (if we choose). Making people who've played GW for a year do those over and over again is a real slap in the face. The combat system didn't change at all from Prophecies to Factions. Don't pretend that the new coat of paint made us all noobs again.

samifly · May 08, 2006, 06:56 AM // 06:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by lg5000

btw, can someone explain to me what the point of getting run through the game is? What's the benefit?

Running, for new people is bad. Fighting your way to a town you've gotten 3,4,5 times before is grind. I dont mind putting up roadblocks against running.

My main issue is theres no way to explore. Cantha is locked up pretty tightly, and its pretty small. Where is the fighting to get maguuma stade? All the skills seem to be pretty much available to you right up front, so no off the beaten path to get rare skills. Where is the dry top, twin serpent lakes, ice dome, majesty's rest? places that add that little something extra, because they exist for no reason but to be there. It just makes Factions feel all the more rushed.

kvndoom · May 08, 2006, 09:50 AM // 09:50

Maybe suggested before, but I thought about it some:

1st character on an account- you have to play through it normally. If and only if you beat every mission and complete every quest available to you (you don't have to flawless every mission, just complete it), then the map (towns and mission zones only) is unlocked for all other characters on that account. You'd still have missions and quests to do, but if you've beaten the game with your warrior, but you've got friends who need a good monk for a later mission you haven't gotten your Monk to yet, you could just zone there and help. You'd still have 0% exploration and completion, but you wouldn't have to grind so much just to get somewhere you needed to be. I know without a doubt I'm not taking a second character through Factions. I'm not finding it as fun as Prophecies, not even close.

Draxx · May 08, 2006, 10:28 AM // 10:28

Running was a fantastic aspect of the game which has now been removed in cantha, i was upset you couldnt do much on your own and explore as much but quickly got over it.

i mean i would perfer to run and people to have the choice to run or grind or mission to places.

i am more frustrated with having to do it with the rest of my characters. should be a account thing to keep the gates open in certain areas. i know it is not that easy but it would in some places make things alot bareable for replay value...

would help to still have to do the missions to get to the missions at the end of the game, but still be able to wander out into the jade sea with a character that hasnt done the missions ONLY when you have a char that has done it already.

*shrugs* i know its difficult for that to be done but it would just be nice as all. :P

Mindtrust · May 08, 2006, 10:44 AM // 10:44

Follow the storyline and then explore the few spots of clouds (shouldn't be so much if i look at my map) that you have left. I love it that they made it this way. And yes i have brought more then 1toon through and i have made some missions quite many times to help guildies out, i think that the missions are funnier i Factions.

ignis · May 08, 2006, 01:15 PM // 13:15

hahaha, owned? it's about goddamn time ANet was smart anough to nuke running. I don't know if many of you remember those days when GW has just been launched and people actually grouped into parties to get from one palce to another. then running emerged and everything got screwed up. running ruined Tyria, it is no longer interesting to play through it. and now when this horrible shit got nerfed you bitch and whine about it? weak.

Theus · May 08, 2006, 01:24 PM // 13:24

The reason why gates are in and will stay in are the end game greens.

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