Minipets Now Without Sound!

THANK GOD. Minipet noises are annoying, I'm glad they removed them.

As I understand it, this is likely not a "pick and choose" situation. We either have pet sounds or we do not. And I have to say that in my observation, and listening to players not just today but over the last many months, the sound removal is likely to please the majority of players. (Not all, but the majority.) Too often, I've seen people denigrate the Jungle Troll because of his growl, or the Kuunivang because of the whomp/whomp/whomp of the beating wings.

I will be happy to ask about the selective return of sounds, but please, let's focus not on minutiae like this, but on the bigger picture. How much time would someone ask we invest to make the sounds adjustible, optional, or toggleable? And what cool new feature are you willing to postpone while we make what many would consider a minor adjustment? If it takes a programmer hours to make these options, I believe there are better uses for his/her time. However, if this is a minor thing, and can easily be made selectable, or adjustible, we'll do that, I'm sure.

I highly doubt that the majority were complaining about the sounds. Complainers are always the loudest...sort of like mini pets. It's just too bad that the complainers won out especially when they could toggle down their background sounds. They always had that option. Muting pets gives no one any options to bring back their voices. But whatever, it really is such a little thing that I'm suprised that Anet was so quick to "fix" it.

.. and lose sounds of birds? waterfalls? no...

Of all the nerfs and whatnot, the update to remove the miniature sounds disappointed me the most.

Minipet sounds are fun, but in reality only for a short while. I remember an extended fow clear where we had 3 trolls, a kunne and rotwallow out and after about 3 hours people we're asked to put them away. Esp the trolls which made people look about in earnest to see if any Abyssals had escaped.

In towns last night, the normal nice atmosphere with the music and hubub was a bit overwhemled by the sounds of the contents of Noah's ark being let out.

An option to switch it on or off would be great, part of me will miss the minipet menagerie and the other just wants to have peace and quiet when I spend hours in a town trading.

Hey if I paid over $79.99 with + LA county tax included, Factions CE to have the voice of the Kuunivang, you think I would say “sure go ahead;” then the next thing I noticed it’s striped of it’s voice because people don’t know what they want. This made this mini-pet unique and valued to me at least, and I could care less for showing it off. Isn’t that why you made this pet in the first place anyways, to be unique?

I disagree with the majority of complainers and whiners who are green with envy, or just don’t like mini-pets all together. I understand it’s not your fault A-net, but this is not going to come to a close nicely.

I rather opt for a change that allows people not hear the pets in the outpost but rather in the explore’able areas. However this will simply not due.

May I suggest, with all courtesy, that when you paid your money, you had no idea if the Kuunivang had a "voice" or not. And when the birthday gifts were proffered, there was no "Now, with sound!" addendum. (Also, please check your receipt -- I know of no one who charged $79.99 for the Factions Collector's Edition.)

I don't intend to diminish your comments, but simply to try to put them into context. What if this were a "voting" situation. It is not, but let's just say for sake of argument it was. In order to provide feedback to the designers, please help me by choosing one and only one:

1. You can show your miniature in town
2. You can have a miniature with sound

No negotiating, for purposes of this study. Just a simple 1 or 2.

Honestly, I'd like to know, which would you choose?

Thanks.

Heck, mini Kunnies are gonna be a hit now that they're annoying whining sound has been removed.

2.

Honestly.

You forgot I said unique didn't you? There were certain things added in that we were let onto and now you say it's simply not factual. Please tell me that's not what you’re saying; and yes I did buy that for $79.99 plus tax. I have it with me. BTW making this into a PR gray area does not count.

Edit: Forget it I'm not going to get anywhere you guys already made your mind; it’s written in blood. I’ll just remember this, as they day the complainers won.

Best update in a long while. The war on aural terror has been won. I almost regret selling my Kuunavang now.

Yes, I announced the Kuunivang, and put the information on the website. I can say with 100% certainty that there was no "with sound" commentary prior to the release of the CE for Factions. The sound, or lack of sound, was never a component of any marketing or promisary communication we had with players. So yes, that is what I'm saying.

If you say you paid $79.99 for the CE for Factions, then I have no option but to believe you. If you are not confusing it with the CE for Prophecies, which generally sold for $10 more than the CE for Factions, then I beg your pardon, for only you know what you paid.

Regardless, we thank you for the support you showed in purchasing the CE of Factions. The sound, or lack of sound, is a choice that will be made by the designers for the overall good of the game and the player base as a whole.

These are clear examples of how, as it is for so many decisions, there are clearly players on both sides of the matter.

I was in the game today talking to players, and I have to say that the complaints about sound were very noticeable, and I did not see anyone arguing with their removal. Some will, surely, and we are sorry that this cannot be a 100% agreement issue.

2...
It may be bad for the showoffs, but occasionally scaring people with a well placed "jungle roar" was just too cool I miss kuunavangs cute little scream as well

yeah yeah, complainers want AND muted AND being able to showoff in town, but nerfing the sound of minipets because they have been added to towns isn't really.....nice...i guess....

And 20 showoff people afk people in a district with their minipet = no new minipets in town... allas.... AFK ftw i guess

Wow all I hear is people whining about something that was really useless to begin with. Anet did not have to have mini pets in town, but for some reason listened to the community and put them in. They get rid of the annoying noises and you people complain about it.

To top it off Gaile explains to you ingrates why they take their actions, and still whine whine whine. If I was a dev and saw people complain I would find it my personal duty to RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO you over ingame over and over and over.

You buy a game for 49.99, install it, go through updates, and never pay a monthley fee. In reality we should never have the nerve to ask Anet for any update, we should learn to be pleased with what we have. But no I visit this forum every day and find nothing but complaints about everything.

If you want change to the game, then leave the game and play something else. WoW has a 6 million player fanbase, they pay 15.99 a month, and hardly see as many updates and changes that Guild Wars throws at us. So the next time you have a thought about anything, before you post, just let the thought go.

/end rant

I'd go for option #2 also. I certainly never asked for, nor wanted mini pets in towns. It's a fluff update that added nothing of substance to the game.

Sort of like sound added nothing of substance to the game?

Sorry, I could not resist. I do believe that for every change, there will be those who don't care for it. But having a "finger on the pulse" in this case, I welcomed the news of the sound removal, and as a player, I welcomed it yet again. The latter is personal preference. The former is based on player feedback, and that drives much of what we do. So while it's true that people are more likely to complain about something than to commend it, the fact that this was so resoundingly requested--even prior to the "miniatures in-town" option--makes it feel right to me.

It's a very, very tiny matter, honestly. I couldn't care less either way. However, I now see this minipet in town thing as a complete waste of time. Time that could've been spent on soemthing else. Why is it a waste? Because in the end, it added nothing. There is a +1 feature of minipets in town, and a -1 feature of minipets having sound, that ends up with 0, nothing. Waste of fricken time.

My theory, do not fix what isn't broken. Please. And yeah, #2.

That’s because my friend, people complained about the noises in the first place otherwise we would not be having this conversation. There are people who still think mini-pets were the most horrible idea, but A-net gave us a gift. Then people stared heckling, “I hate the idea,” like every other game boards I’ve seen; of course there will be retaliation. So I’ll just sit and wait till these complainers get the last word and mini pet’s are out the door.

Definitely 2.

I'll miss my charrs growls in zones and being able to show him off to random strangers serves no purpose at all.