Petition for the skill icons - Change back

UBS

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2006

Earth

Mo/Me

Hey. The new skill icon change is very annoying, and despite all, unneeded.
Everyone who i have spoke to has agreed with me. There was no problem in the first place. The icons are still the same after the event. What is going on anet? I think Anet should give us a reason why they have changed it, and they should know that it is uncalled for. If it was a needed change, why solve it like this?
Please sign here if you are against the change.

~UBS

fallot

I'm the king

Join Date: Nov 2005

Aussie Trolling Crew: Grand Phallus and Chairman Pro Tempore

Are you talking about the irritating hourglasses ? If so, I agree with you.

Seren!ty

Seren!ty

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2006

[iDum]

R/E

It annoys me as well.. When I'm interrupting I look at the skill icon, not the text. Now I sometimes interrupt the wrong things or fail at an interrupt :|

MelechRic

MelechRic

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2005

RA

[ODIN]

N/Mo

It's new and unoptimized. I say give them a week to fix it before resorting to a petition.

/neutral

Arduin

Arduin

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

The Netherlands

Limburgse Jagers [LJ]

R/

Yeah, they probably gonna fix it in a few days time. If Anet decides to let it stay this way, I'll gladly sign.

burai

burai

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Fishermen's Haven

W/

This is almost certainly to do with the new feature that will be in Nightfall, giving you the ability to save/load different builds. I'm sure they will optimise the code prior to release.

Exoudeous

Exoudeous

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Mar 2006

Honor Warriors

E/

I fail to see the problem here, the hour glasses only appear for a short time when you are loading into an area, how could that possibly effect your playing the game

Arcador

Arcador

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

--

R/N

Sometimes they appear in the first gvg at the night which might be a trouble.

Cracko

Cracko

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

SOOOO /signed

Hard to interrupt now

Turbo Wombat

Turbo Wombat

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2005

Centeral Texas

Heros of Titans Realm

Me/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Exoudeous
I fail to see the problem here, the hour glasses only appear for a short time when you are loading into an area, how could that possibly effect your playing the game
Nope, the icons load in an "on demand" basis so GW won't even cache the picture until you are actually staring at it. Not a problem for those with new and fast systems, but for the players with slightly more dated technology, they may not be able to tell what is casting or what hexes/enchantments/conditions are on them for the first few seconds while the icon loads. While those few seconds may seem insignificant at first glance, that's all the time it takes to be flattened in PvP and some areas of PvE

Monk Mystic

Monk Mystic

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2006

The Ka-Tet of Gilead

Mo/W

and plenty to be annoying as hell

SirErnieMacGloop

SirErnieMacGloop

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2005

Area 52

Just guessing, but i bet this is related to this thread:

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10013492

there was probably something changed in the graphics engine back in july that started causing issues with delays in skill activation.
I no longer have any delay in activating skills and would prefer instant activation to having an immediate picture of something I already know I'm casting/using. Although it is tough to tell what someone else is casting/using when the icon doesn't show, at least the descriptions are there.

Matix411

Matix411

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Feb 2006

Ontario

/signed.

I'm an interruptor (spell?), and before this random addition to the game (which I believe has been taken off now that the preview event is gone), I have had a horrible time interrupting. I have a fairly out-dated computer, and I was able to play fine and I could tell when and what people were casting, in an appropriate amount of time wherein I could interrupt them if possible, now I can barely do that. Or at least, during the preview I couldn't.

Alas.

Soon I will update my computer. Whether they change this little ordeal or not, I don't really care, but it'd be nice to see it GONE. lol.

MelechRic

MelechRic

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2005

RA

[ODIN]

N/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbo Wombat
Nope, the icons load in an "on demand" basis so GW won't even cache the picture until you are actually staring at it. Not a problem for those with new and fast systems, but for the players with slightly more dated technology, they may not be able to tell what is casting or what hexes/enchantments/conditions are on them for the first few seconds while the icon loads. While those few seconds may seem insignificant at first glance, that's all the time it takes to be flattened in PvP and some areas of PvE
Actually, it isn't a global "on demand" basis. You can in fact have the icon for an enchant loaded in your skill bar and then when using the enchant see an hourglass on your enchant/effects area of the screen.

Most likely this is a new API developed for getting icons painted on the screen without using a lot memory for caching them. As with all new code (especially cache related code) it takes time and tweaking to get it fully optimized. I'd expect that within a week or so there will be another build that addresses this issue.

UBS

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2006

Earth

Mo/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Exoudeous
I fail to see the problem here, the hour glasses only appear for a short time when you are loading into an area, how could that possibly effect your playing the game
The fact that the skill activation bar icons are taking a crucial second or two to load.

Charqus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2005

Mo/

This annoys me cos when i come into town i glance at skills and the hour glass is there for about 3 seconds but it annoys me even though its only there for a short time

KamikazeChicken

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/

I'm glad the majority of you individuals don't understand the extent of the inconvenience. When looking at what someone else is casting, you don't see the skill icon, until it's already or nearly completely cast. This inhibits the ability of players to properly interrupt critical skills from being used.

This thread isn't about the 1 second it takes for skills on your personal bar to show their icon. This thread is about the 1 second it takes for icons to appear when you're watching others cast, and that 1 second vital.

I Brother Bloood I

I Brother Bloood I

Banned

Join Date: Jun 2006

Good question

one question for u all... do u know how to read...

ectospasm

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Aug 2006

waaaah who needs visuals, you should know your skill bar

95_GT_Stang

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2006

Phoenix, Arizona

Guardians Of The Imperium [LaZy]

R/

I'm not a fan of this update either.
/signed

Sir Mad

Sir Mad

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2006

Moe's Pub

Pigs Can Fly [Pigs]

R/

Yes I agree with everybody the lag with icons showing up is irritating. However it's maybe not as simple as "chaging it back". They may have change the code to include new features of NF, or simply to make the game able to handle the increasing number of skills, or...

Sol_Vie

Sol_Vie

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

Boston, MA

Blood Of Orr [BoO]

Let it go on a bit more... let the coding smooth out a little more...

I'm going to give it a week or so before I sign this.

Aera Lure

Aera Lure

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

In Baltar's head

Bring Out Your Dead [BOYD], former officer [LBS]

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sol_Vie
Let it go on a bit more... let the coding smooth out a little more...

I'm going to give it a week or so before I sign this.
This is where I stand on it. As currently implemented, its a problem, but I'd expect them to be working on it. Given a few days it should be addressed, if not, it might be time to think about another solution, but you'd think so close to Nightfall's release this would already have been addressed. :\

What I fail to understand is why the skill icons even need to be on demand for the new envisioning of the skill bar and saving builds to function as desired. I'd think its simply the "on demand" part of the equation that is causing the problem. The client knows immediately what is being cast, or what is on your skill bar, even if you cant see it right away. Seems to me they should make the skill icons and any required data part of the data file, so its not on demand, or have it stream in fully once you launch the game. If you log on directly and go straight into the game and to the skill panel you might see some hourglasses while everything loads, but after this you should NEVER see them again, unless you log out.

MadOnion

MadOnion

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

/signed. At the very least I'd like to know why this is happening.

XvArchonvX

XvArchonvX

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

R/

/signed

I don't mind slow loading skills at when you first spawn or when you are changing skills in town, but slow loading skills suck when you are interupting.

Sir Skullcrasher

Sir Skullcrasher

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

California

15 over 50 [Rare]

W/Mo

I agree, this skill loading icon is driving me nuts. I can't decide if i should interrupt enemies's skills while in battle.

Rawling

Academy Page

Join Date: Sep 2006

Me/E

IIRC I don't have the issue when interrupting because I read the skill -name- rahter than the icon. Or maybe the skill name doesn't come up until the icon has loaded.

Anyway.

/signed because these hourglasses just look unprofessional.

jummeth

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Mar 2006

London

Diary of a Madman [SiKK]

Quote:
Originally Posted by I Brother Bloood I
one question for u all... do u know how to read...
Sure we all do, but its much faster to recognise a skill icon than to read the description, especially if the description's background is changing all the time.

Human brains are much more suited to pattern recognition than reading of words. It needs to be fixed, to the people who say they will wait a few weeks to see if it clears up before you sign... why? its a problem now, if it carries on it will be a problem in a few weeks, why not draw attension to the problem so ANet knows its a problem and will definiately fix it.

MMSDome

MMSDome

Raged Out

Join Date: Sep 2005

/signed

I just dont like it. I also dont like how you have to hit K for the attributes during the nightfall event, that was a apin in my ***

Neriandal Freit

Neriandal Freit

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Spiral of The Red Rose, Kryta (Columbus, IN)

Heros of Titans Realm [HotR]

E/

Agreed (For once)

Also would like to be able to move my skills around freely in my skil lbar with out my attributes/skill page poping up :/

Malangyar

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

/Signed

Restore it back the way it used to be, Anet.

Two April Mornings

Two April Mornings

No Luck No Time No Money

Join Date: Nov 2005

Amherst College, MA

Scars Meadows [SMS]

Me/

I power drained res sig too many times now, this is annoying. Wish i just saw the pic.

sumasage

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2005

hope they will fix this...it is very annoying. /sign if they dont want to fix it.

LumpOfCole

LumpOfCole

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

Orlando, FL

Rt/

At least this opens the door for an anti-interrupt skill

"Hourglass Signet" - If a foe attempts to interrupt this skill, that foe's attack skills are disabled for an additional 6....24 seconds.




Bwahahah.

Former Ruling

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Oct 2005

Cedartown, Georgia

R/

Why are the skills loaded as they are used by your enemy now anyways? The all the skill icons and such should be preloaded when you enter an area. I would MUCH rather have a 2-3 sec wait at the start of a match, then a sec wait AS THEY USE THE SKILL.

LumpOfCole

LumpOfCole

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jul 2006

Orlando, FL

Rt/

I assume the hourglass thing is a measure to decrease initial area loading times in Nightfall for older computers and the such when the player will be able to sort through their hero skills as well.

Just make it a graphics option checkmark and we should be good to go.

zhai

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2005

Poland

The Witchers

R/Me

totally SIGNED

Diablo???

Diablo???

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

Seattle

SPQR

N/R

I'll give it some time as well....

lol, I hate being hexed with "hourglasses"....

tomcruisejr

tomcruisejr

Banned

Join Date: Apr 2005

Another Double Reward Weekend
26 September 2006


This coming weekend, from Noon PDT on Friday, September 29 through 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, October 1, you will receive double experience from capturing effin gray hourglasses. Instead of gaining 250 times your level in XP, you will receive 500 times your level. Join Guild Wars this weekend and enjoy the bonus XP and capturing lots and lots of effin gray hourglasses.



there's a thread existing bout this btw..

http://guildwarsguru.com/forum/showt...php?t=10049454

Opeth11

Opeth11

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Oct 2005

Richmond, British Columbia, Kanada

Demon of the Fall [Opet]

Mo/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by tomcruisejr
Another Double Reward Weekend
26 September 2006


This coming weekend, from Noon PDT on Friday, September 29 through 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, October 1, you will receive double experience from capturing effin gray hourglasses. Instead of gaining 250 times your level in XP, you will receive 500 times your level. Join Guild Wars this weekend and enjoy the bonus XP and capturing lots and lots of effin gray hourglasses.
z0mg! /stops levelling.