Guild Wars is BROKE! - Graphics/Particle effects NOT working

This is very serious issue and one ArenaNet is not addressing or fixing.

Guild Wars is broke.

This needs to be a sticky, because ArenaNet is avoiding this like a plague, and if we don't make a big noise, they're not gonna do anything about it.

I have logged a support case, and from all of my research so have several others. ArenaNet is not only not responding, they aren't fixing it either.

Between now and close to 2 weeks ago, ArenaNet broke the particle/sound/animation system in Guild Wars, and while most people don't notice the issue, it's almost to the point that I simply can't enjoy the game anymore. Ya, that bad. When you don't know whether or not your spell's particle effect/sound/animation is going to occur when you cast a spell, it makes the game very un-enjoyable.

Let me explain, and most people that have played GuildWars for any length should immediately know what I am talking about.

This is happening across ALL characters, not just a computer, or a character, but ALL.

When I first zone out into an 'Explorable Area', and cast VIPER DEFENSE, the particle effect/graphic/sound for that spell, never works. It is supposed to show a gasous type effect with a corresponding sound. This is repeatable EVERY time. The second time I cast it, it works perfectly, but then subsequently you NEVER know whether or not it will work.

This happens to EVERY spell I have equipped on my elementalist, it really doesn't matter, but every time I zone out, and cast any enchantment, it simply doesn't work. Now, I don't know about you, but this is a pretty serious deal.

Here is what I wrote to arenanet, that they STILL haven't replied back to me or addressed the community with how they are going to address this.

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Between now and approximately a month ago, you guys made a change that has completely affected particle systems/graphics. Here is the issue:

When I go into an 'Explorable Area', my spells now do not consistently show the appropriate particle effects/graphics. In other words, when I first zone out with my Assassin, and i click on VIPER DEFENSE, it is supposed to immediately show a gasous type effect. It is guaranteed to not work the first time, then it sporadically works subsequent times, but it is NOT limited to JUST this effect. The same thing on NIGHTFALL preview with my paragon's SIGNET OF SYNERGY, or GRENTHS FOOTPRINT, and the exact same thing for my prophecies elementalist on ANY spell, but for instance my FIRE ATTUNMENT or MANTRA OF CONCENTRATION.

Again, this is for ANY spell across any of my characters. So, the first thing I thought was video driver. So, I updated all of my drivers, thats not it. Here's why. I have 4 computers in my house, I tried ALL four, which have different video cards all patched to latest verison, and it's doing the EXACT same thing across ALL 4 computers. This isn't my computer, this is you guys. There is something you have done that has caused this inconsistentcy in the particle effects, and now I can not enjoy the game. I can never tell when they are gonna work, and when they are not.

I even tried a 5th computer at a friends house, and the EXACT SAME THING.

I have recorded AVI file's that will prove what I am talking about if you require. It will show only the tail end of an effect, not the initial particle effect. Basically, it will not show the entire effect as it should, and does, again, sporadically.

I can zip these up, and FTP them to you if you require, again, please let me know where. (they are larger than 5 meg, so I can't send it here)

This is extremely serious to me, and I am sure it is to others as well. Seriuos enough that if not fixed come NIGHTFALL time that I won't buy my normal 2 copies (one for me and my son), which I have done for the previous 2 games (100 bucks.)

Please fix. Thank you.

PS, I believe this to have happened after you guys downloaded an update.

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EVERYONE, please log a case with arenanet, and show your distaste to their complete lack of admitting that we have a problem, and address a date/time that it will be fixed.

I'm not buying my normal 2 copies of , well, NightFall, in this case, until this very big issue is resolved.

Please let ANET, and this site know that you want this fixed, and that you want this message to be a STICKY.

Thanks.

Sevo S (prophecies), Sevo Sevon (factions)

/signed

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. It's basically the same sh!t with the skill icons. They no longer pre-load them.

So what happens is the first time you use ANY spell, you won't see anything. I noticed this myself but at first I thought I was just imagining things. But good to see that someone else besides me is bothered by the fact that none of the spells used are visible until you use them the second time. In fact, that might even include the sound. So its like you didn't even use the skill again. Hopefully, this gets fixed cause it just feels wierd to me when I use Apply Poison, I no longer see the poison gas around my ranger.

Hrmmm, I can't say this has BROKEN the game.... but I have seen what you're talking about. Watching monsters use skills, all I see for the first split second is some symbol that looks like an "x" or an hourglass, then suddenly the proper icon will load. Sure it's a little annoying, especially when I'm watching out for the appropriate skill to interrupt, but I would hardly say this has broken the game. I'm sure they'll get around to fixing it eventually as I'll bet plenty of people have submitted bug tickets on this issue by now.

/signed
it is INDEED broken, missing effects piss me off every day
it isnt fun when u have a nice PC playing at 1600x1200 4xAA but cant enjoy the full effects of the game, sometimes it actually makes me wonder if the skill actually got activated or not
PLS fix this first, before u think about releasing Nightfall
i can wait one more week for Nightfall if thats it
as long as this gets fixed

/signed
I thought the problem was on my end because I only started noticing it on my ranger's storm chaser and escape effects after I reformatted my comp a few weeks ago, oddly enough it only happenes on my ranger not my warrior or my ele. I just assumed that the problems were being caused by the new video and sound drivers I had installed.

/signed

i know how you feel the other day i was doing my normal free runs from war camp to granite citadel on my monk and i got 2 a point where i had to recast prot spirit and healing breeze and then activate spell breaker and none of the skills made any sounds or any indication that i had casted so my 200+ runs in a row with no deaths was ruined by lack of problem solving gg anet

/end rant

/signed
For interupting the hourglass is quite annoying since you can't tell what the skill is until the icon loads.

/signed

Bloody infuriating, that's what it is. Both that damn hourglass and the missing effects/sounds.

Get it fixed ANet!

/signed soooo annoying.

/signed

I've been banging on about the the last few days on this very forum.
Gaile at least admit there's a problem with the code and it's being fixed, ignoring the fact ain't gonna do Anet any favours!
I will keep banging on about this until it's fixed, im a customer and i'm allowed to voice my concerns, don't forget we put the money into your pocket.

Have you noticed the sound of the flight of the arrow has gone to!

I'm noticing this problem as well. Especially when I cast Well of Blood or Well of Power. After I cast it...I dont see the well till about 5-7 later, so I take a guess as to the "closest" corpse. It only happens at the beginning like everyone previously had said.

/SIGNED

/signed
I noticed this a while ago when running on my ranger, haven't ran anywhere since

OK thanks now I know Im not crazy/computer ok.

I cast my boon of creation, and get no sound effect, so i think my sound card failed... but then itll start to kick on after a bit.

havent played my mesmer much lately... and from what you guys are saying, I might not play him for a little bit longer.

So, I actually called Gaile Gray of ANET. We had a 20 minute conversation.

Thats right, she was gracious enough to talk to me. (I owned a collection agency for 4 years before I opened my own software company, so I know how to track people)

I called the main number, and input her extension, and she was on the phone immediately.

If you guys want details let me know, but here is the short of it.

They are aware of the issue.

But, they are trying to get a new product out, on top of a preview weekend going on, on top of yada, yada, yada. Basically, she gave me the complete politically correct answer.

So, if you're like me, and you've been on this earth long enough to read between the lines, this is really what's going on.

The developers are working on getting nightfall out. They don't want to dedicate active development resources on fixing whats wrong because they need get nightfall out and take more of our money on 10/27.

Personally, I believe their mentality is, "We can just fix it later." I don't know. you guys tell me. it's STILL not fixed, and it's been 12 days now that it's been broken.

Ya, that's it folks. I don't feel or believe that anyone there cares any further than, we're working on nightfall. Go ahead and give us 50 more dollars (in my case 100 because of my son and I) and we'll try to get to it later.

It's been 12 days since they broke it everyone. You tell me. Is this important? twelve DAYS......12 days.

I gave these people 200 dollars of my own money. And you gave them your own money too. For a game that doesn't work right. A game I can no longer enjoy.

They aren't gonna fix it anytime soon. Making more money is more important than fixing what they have already made/screwed up and ALREADY gotten our money from.

I have asked someone in development management to contact me because Gaile kept trying to pass the buck by saying, "Well, I am not in development or support", and, unfortunately, she's right, that's true.

I am attempting to put all of you(the people that are having the problem) on my shoulders and be the voice for all of us (obviously, by actually calling Gaile Gray), but in the end, it's gonna take all of you to call these people too.

Right now it appears to me they have no problem taking your money, but they aren't too interested in making what they took your money for, work.

Let me know if you want more details on what she said.

Thanks.

Oh, one other thing, and you guys are gonna love this. (Sorry Gaile, but you did say it).

I asked her to please address this to the community. We have a right to now what's wrong, how it's being addressed, how much longer it will be to get fixed, and she said.

"no".

I said "Why?"

She said addmitting it would cause everyone to call her, or others.

To some degree she's right. If they admitted it publiclly, then the public would begin an outcry, which I am already doing by taking the initive to call her to begin with.

For those of you having this problem, this is a really big deal. I don't think they get it. That they understand the magnitude of this not working.

They simply look at it from the perspective, is Guild Wars down, well , no, but, Can you play it, well yes, but, Can you cast the spells, well yes, but I can't, do monsters react, well, yes, but, ... You get what I'm saying.

It's not an outage, so it's not a priority.

Which makes me so angry I could scream. I hope it does you too..

So, there's a small graphics problem that a few people experience, and you consider this to be the end of GW. 12 days for a completely unimportant graphical detail?

Right now the game is unplayable to way more people due to so frequent disconnects and so much lag it's not even funny anymore.

12 days... Geez. Anet is really incompetent since in light of releasing next chapter they can't immediately address a small graphics bug.

Does your company fix ALL bugs faster than that? Do they have 2 mil user base as well with 24/7 server operations?

If someone comes into your company and says they are no longer buying your software unless you change the fonts in the application do you immediately drop everything and fix it for them or do you prefer to go on with your plan and deliver to other customers.

Hey guy,

You're not getting it.

First.This isn't a few people.

Second. It's not just a small graphical glitch, but I'm not gonna waste my time any more than telling you, it involves particle effects, graphics, sound AND animation.

Third. When something along the lines of what I just described to you isn't working, then yes, it is fixed immediately.

Let me try to bring this down to your level.

You buy a car.

Your car makes a terrible, god awful noise.

Is it still driveable? uhh. Yes.

<mechanic>Well, We'll get to it, but we have to fix and sell more of these other cars first.

<you>Ok, but it's been twelve days, my car may be driveable, but I can barely stand it. I can't continue to do this.

<mechanic>Well, we don't know when we can get to it, and we're not even admitting you car has a problem, so, there you have it.

Maybe now..Hopefully..you get it.

You are stalking Anet employees over an in-game bug. That much I get.

/signed

although i dont usually have my sound on because i like to listen to music, i agree that it would be not as enjoyable for those that have played the game for a while.

hopefully they fix it before nightfall comes out because im planning on putting on gw music for that. i really liked the sound for Nightfall.