Curse

Hanok Odbrook · Feb 02, 2007, 11:10 PM // 23:10

Now that we are well into the new year, and campaign four is only a scant two or three months away, I just wanted to put down some of my thoughts on the GW world in my semi-annual habit, and to try and fulfill one of my new year's resolutions of spending at least one more hour of quality time outside of the game than I did last year (boy, it sure is bright out here).
First of all, let me say that the Hero system is one of (if not the) biggest boon and success to the game. With the heroes, I've actually been able to spend more time playing and advancing in each of the campaigns than trying to find a group to get past the next roadblock. With some additional tweaking, I think the Heroes can be even better, and would like to see the system extended beyond just those who own Nightfall.

Hero Battles
In Hero Battles, we need to have the full amount of Faction awarded to the winner to counteract the the leavers. I have enjoyed the Hero battles immensely, and use them as the primary way to garner faction for skill unlocks. The loss of faction thanks to someone who doesn't want to stick it out (there have been numerous times I have been down by a seemingly overwhelming number only to come back and win), gets really annoying after the fourth or fifth time.
It would also be interesting to have some kind of permanent stat tracking for the battles. I am very interested in knowing what my win-loss ratio is with my different party formations. While the Command Title track lets us know the overall wins we have, I would like to see some more detailed information on wins and losses, so I can see what kind of success I am having with different party make-ups. We might also be able to tie a new title to a stat such as this for players who can keep their win\loss ratios above a certain point (with leavers being penalized with a loss).

Character Sort Options & Creations
I mentioned in a prior post about wanting further sorting options on the log in screen, and reiterate it here because I am desperate for this one. In addition to sorting options based on current campaign and starting campaign, I would like to also have one based on character age – which is the sort of default option if none is selected. Somehow, after creating a new PvP character, the default option for my CE account got all fouled up and I can no longer get the old sort order back.
I also wonder if it would be of interest to other players to have more detailed character info in the creation mode. On my guild website I have things such as approximate height and weight listed in with my character stats, and wonder if such things could be added to the character development instead of just the size sliding bar.

Hero AI and Commands
In one of my previous diatribes, I mentioned wanting to increase the number of heroes we are allowed to take with us. However, after spending some more time with the system, and reading the interview in the new GFW issue, I understand the limitation, and now don't mind it too much. However, I would like to see the addition of a new area in the game where our PvE characters could explore with every Hero they've unlocked. Perhaps this area could be a single player explorable realm separate from the campaigns as the Battle Isles are for PvP. This would just provide some super-sized party fun I think.
I would also like to see the Hero AI and command system improved slightly. I've noticed that Heroes have difficulty utilizing certain skills and with slight improvements, this can take away some of the micromanagement necessary in the heat of battle. Primarily, skills like Balanced Stance and Enchanments such as Mark of Protection and Mending can be made more effective by not only having hero AI that “learns”, but also adding a command system that allows us to issue orders outside of a battle. In regards to the AI, I constantly have to tell Koss to activate Balanced Stance to counter the monster skill of Giant Stomp. I would like the system to be able to have Koss understand the foes he is facing and to be able to initiate the stance on his own. With an AI system that learns from experience, just as we do as players, it will allow the Heroes to make more effective use of the skills we equip for them prior to heading out into the wild. As an example, let's say I am taking Koss out into the S. Shivs for the first time, and he has not yet encountered the Stone Summit and the Herd Riders. Even with BS equipped, he wouldn't necessarily know he would need it without knowing what the enemy is capable of. However, after the battle is engaged, and we see what skills are being used against the party, the Hero AI would then look at their available skills and be able to see that there is an anti-knockdown skill available and use it each time foes that use a knockdown skill are encountered.
In regards to the ongoing enchantment spells, much improvement has been made since the PvE beta in their use, but after recently unlocking MoP, I find the monks either unable due to a bug, or unwilling to keep this skill activated on the character I select. An additional command system that allows us to issue specific orders to heroes would greatly aid in making skills like this more viable and lessen our need to command the Heroes while in the middle of a fight. For example, at any point in an explorable area, I tell Dunkoro to put Mending on Koss and on Olias. Upon selecting the character and clicking the skill button, a command window appears that will allow me to issue an ongoing order for this command. I would be able to tell Dunkoro to continually maintain Mending on Koss within the parameters outlined by the skill and should the spell fail or be removed, to recast it at the earliest opportunity. Let's say that for Olias I only want Dunkoro to maintain the skill until it is removed. I would go through the same process, but instead of selecting a “Recast” option, I would select a “do not recast” option for him. This way, I would not have to keep tabs on the Heroes as much during a battle, knowing that Dunkoro will recast mending on Koss automatically and not recast on Olias unless I specifically tell him to recast it.
The command orders can also be used to have the Heroes target certain foes without my having to select that foe during a battle then click the targeting icon for each Hero as a more refined “Fight/Guard/Avoid” option. I can issue an order to Koss to automatically target Monks, or even target spellcasters in general when they are encountered. That way, I can target a melee foe and know Koss will only go after the Monk/SC nearest him. This command can of course be overridden by using the targeting icon to set him on a specific foe. In this way, I can have more control over who the Heroes target without having to continually select foes during a battle.

Overall Game AI
Finally, but certainly not least of all, is the further re-envisioning of the overall AI in the game. I had participated in threads on this subject shortly after the last change, but want to get some more thoughts on this subject here. Overall, aside from the whole “running monk” thing, and Heroes that don't leave Meteor Shower's AoE (even with no flags set), I haven't had too many problems with the AI, but would like to see further refinements to the system. Specifically I would like to see notable differences in foes based on their race. As it is now, it feels like I am facing the same foes over and over again only with different skins and skills. We need to see marked differences in the intelligence of the varying races and types of foes encountered and a more realistic view on when and how they use skills and who they will target.
Levels of Intelligence:
We need to see different levels for intelligence in the AI based on the race of the creature. Foes like plants and insects should not be at the same level as Tengu, Humans, or Demons, and should not know the difference between a Monk or Warrior, or even a player controlled party from an NPC party. The creatures that are lowest on the totem pole should be hostile to all other creatures they encounter (I am soooo tired of Corsairs who walk freely among termites only to have both groups come after my lowly adventurers). Nor should these creatures have enough intelligence to be able to pick out the monks in my party and go after them. Every creature should be able to be placed in a particular level of intelligence in the game – those with a higher level of intelligence would be able to perform higher levels of tactical prowess in a battle. Roughly, Humans should sit in the middle of scale with non-humanoid forms having the lowest intelligence. For humanoid hybrid creatures, we can take this on a case by case basis based on their non-humanoid counterparts. Creatures such as Hekets should have a lower intelligence then Humans, but I see Tengu as having a slightly higher intelligence. For special creatures such as Undead, Elementals, the Afflicted, and Demons, while human in form for the most part, they too should be taken on a case by case basis. Animated Undead should have no more intelligence than a Minion Master's player animated undead. Other Undead can maintain a level of intelligence based on their original living forms. Demons for the most part should have the highest intelligence of the game. Elementals, being animated creatures should have a lower level of intelligence, but be on a level higher than that of animated undead. Afflicted should have human intelligence, but be naturally tempered by the disease which has transformed them. A sort of Battle Rage should be attributed to them. They can function normally for the most part, but in the heat of battle go into a blind rage which tempers some of the higher thought processes.
Behavior & Abilities
Each creature should behave in a similar manner to it's real world counterpart. Should I go out with a friend and smack down a hornet's nest, then run away while my friend stays put, the hornets are going to go after what they perceive to be the closest and more immediate threat – my friend, even though he was a complete innocent in the process (and obviously will not longer be my friend after this!!). The same would hold true if my friend was protected by a bee suit, while I was not. Even though my friend is better equipped than I, he is the closest threat and will be swarmed by the hornets first. The lowest intelligence creatures should behave in a similar manner, and their use of skills and abilities should match this. I like the Afflicted AoE effect upon death, and think this should be carried forward to the low intell creatures – they should all have perpetual effects as part of their natural defense, just as bees have their stingers and poison, so should GW's various plants, insects, and the like have their own debilitating defenses and shouldn't rely on the use of typical skills.
For hybrid creatures like Hekets, and Tengu, a combination of natural abilities mixed with skills should provide an adequate and different challenge for each race. Hekets can have a natural poisoning ability mixed in with their use of typical skills; Tengu can give off condition effects when attacked (blindness, weakness, etc.), and so forth for the other hybrid creatures in GW.
Humans should rely solely upon the typical skills as does a Player Character, but their higher intelligence would afford them a better tactical advantage over the lesser creatures. Instead of Am Fah or Corsair marksmen who simply stand and shoot as any other foe does, they would search for higher ground to gain an advantage for their bow and arrows. Higher intelligence humans and creatures would also be able to differentiate between stronger and weaker foes, and know when they were over-matched, and would have the instinct to flee from danger to regroup. Tengu would make even more formidable foes with their higher intelligence and other abilities as mentioned above, and this concept would be taken right on down the line to finally get some real differential among the various races and allow for more strategy when encountering these different races.
As it is now, there is just too much similarity among all the foes in the game, and it's more or less a war of skill conteracts and war of attrition when engaged in combat. With each race assigned it's own IQ and natural abilities on top of typical skills, I think we could get a much more interesting and challenging experience in the PvE portion of the game.

Well, I think this post has gone on long enough, so I'll leave it at that for now, while I continue to compile my next list of additions and improvements I would like to see. And what do you know? There's an hour of quality time! Time to head back to Elona.

Hanok Odbrook
Real Millennium Group Guild
Truth * Knowledge * Peace

Hanok Odbrook · Mar 27, 2007, 05:34 PM // 17:34

While STILL eagerly awaiting my copy of PC Gamer to get the official word on Eye of the North and the future of the Guild Wars saga, I have been pondering over some additional updates and changes I would like to see instituted in the current universe.

Arenas Revisited
Foremost in my mind is making some changes to the non-Battle Isle arenas, and those that once were a part of the Tyrian landscape. I have mentioned this a few times in previous posts over the last couple of years, but again would like to see the old Tyrian arenas re-opened primarily for exploration. The Boardwalk festival in Shing Jea was good for many reasons, not the least of which for me was that it allowed my non-Canthan characters the opportunity to explore the otherwise locked-out Monestary Overlook. I would like to see this option extended not only to the now-defunct arenas in Tyria, but all the early level PvP arenas so that characters from all continents have the opportunity to map clear these areas and add to their gain for the Cartographer titles. Another way to do this would be to have battles that take place in these arenas (such as choosing them in the Zaishen Challenge mishes) count towards map clearing, as PvP characters get this benefit when visiting the Factions arenas from the Battle Isles.

I would also like to see some unique rewards added for participation in the low level arenas on each continent and for the Competative arenas in the Jade Sea/Echovald area - namely the Jade Quarry arena. I don't think anyone will consider calling the JQ a ghost town an exaggeration. Ironiclly, the only time I have yet been able to enter the JQ mission area to compete proper was during the Preview Event prior to Factions release. Adding unique incentives to the JQ and the other low level arenas hopefully will help boost participation in these areas. Perhaps a type of reward, like a Jade Quarry token that is gained much in the way the faction and xp are gained while participating in these mishes that can be traded in for unique items like mini-pets, materials, weapons, etc. will encourage more players to frequent more than one arena. An additional possibility would be to add an arena specific title along with the rewards, awarding a point for each victory regardless of which side you fought on, much the way the Hero Battle Commander track does. At the very least, if these changes do not work, then we would have to have an option added that would allow us to bring our heroes into the missions and play with and against bots if there aren't enough human players to round out both sides.

Titles
Also regarding titles, I like the idea now being considered of splitting the skill hunter title to be campaign specific. There are a couple of other changes to current titles I would like to see as well. First, with the upcoming addition of Hard Mode to the missions, I would like to see the Protector and Guardian tracks kept separate once this is instituted. I consider Hard Mode an extra and not necessary to completing each of the campaigns, whereas the Protector title shows someone has fully completed the game, which is especially true with Factions where you cannot progress without completing the missions. I wouldn't want anyone to loose a maxed title simply because they have no time nor desire to replay the missions in each campaign - again especially since the some of the Factions missions are hard enough now, let alone what they will be like in hard mode. Some additional Pre-Searing titles to go along with the Legendary Defender would be pretty nice as well. Perhaps a "Wandering Adventurer" title for those who clear out the whole map, including the Academy area (which I would like to see opened up for casual exploration, naturally - there are some nice areas for screen shots that just can't happen when the PvP is auto skipped, plus the cut to cinematic when the Charr Boss is killed). I would also like to see the Survivor title opened up for Pre-Searing characters - it will be interesting to see who can not only achieve Survivor in Pre, but get that one AND the Legendary Title as well. This would require a re-working of rezzing with other humans in your party, but I always preferred the henchie/hero party mechanic that auto rezzed the entire party once no human player would be able to be rezzed, such as when the henches/heroes have no rezz skills. I would like to see this carried over to mixed and all human parties as well - once a player can no longer be rezzed, they should be auto rezzed as happens in certain PvP battles, so they can continue to take part in whatever the party is doing without having the need to wipe the whole party or leave the current area. This would also prevent having the whole party re-zone to the shrine in the middle of the battle - only the dead players would be rezzed at the shrine.

I would also like to see the salvaging bonus gained with the Seeker and Treasure Hunter Titles changed a bit. I like the bonus in regards to each level of title achieved, but would also like to see a different bonus tied to one or the other, in addition to a bonus for the Cartographer titles. A new bous I would be interested in seeing is one that offers an increasing chance of salvaging a rare crafting material from an item, and a bonus that offers an increasing chance of having drops that are assaigned to you or one that offers an increasing chance of getting a collectible, high level, or unique drop.

Skill Costs
One other change I've been pondering over is the rising cost of skills at skill trainers. While the current system makes for a minor gold sink, it troubles me that a basic or core skill available either through a quest in pre-searing Tyria or one of the early trainers in the low level areas of continents will end up costing the same one plat that a later skill or SoC costs when you reach the end of the game. While in principle the effectiveness of skills is based on a character's attributes, there is still something in me that balks at paying one plat for a secondary prof skill for one character that was available as a prime quest for another character. I would much rather see a cost cap for skill trainers based on their location, rather than the overall one plat cap. Ascalon/Shing Jea/Istan skill trainers would cap at say 250 gold per skill, N. Shiverpeaks trainers would cap at 375, Kryta trainers would cap at 500 if they don't have SoC and one plat if they do, and all others after Kryta and the mainlands of the other continents would also cap at one plat since they also have SoC. Additionally, and leading into my next segment, if the Guild Hall skill trainer does not offer all non-elite skills from among all current campaigns, which also updates with each new campaign added to an account, I would like to see this as an upgrade as well. I have not yet added the trainer to my guild hall, so don't know what they offer, but I would like to see the guild halls as one stop shopping places for our characters.

Guild Hall Upgrades
I often pop into the Guild Hall to make quick exchanges between characters and to use the current NPCs I have added. I would like to see some of the current ones, most notibly the merchant upgraded so that he provides an aggregate of all the items that can be had from any and all merchants in the GW universe. I don't know how many times I gave a hefty sigh of frustration at creating a new PvP character, then logging out and searching towns until I found a merchant that sold belt pouches and bags because I forgot the GH merchant does not, though he does sell the rune of holding. Having the merchant as a true one stop shopping NPC will save valuable time in the future. I would also like to see the weaponsmith upgraded to provide the service of creating items and not just customizing them. Other additions to the Guild Hall I would like to see is a Festival Hat maker, an NPC that offers storage for the collectible drops, an Armorer that can craft armor for characters, and just some general NPC townfolk to liven up the living areas of the Guild Hall islands.

Well, that does it for this round (until I can get the article in hand, that is).

Hanok Odbrook
Real Millennium Group Guild
Truth * Knowledge * Peace