Hard Mode

ChaoticCoyote

ChaoticCoyote

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2006

Florida, USA

Imperial Order of the Iguana [IGGY]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Theus
Hard Mode generally lacks fun.

You're pigeonholed into having to take the most efficient builds possible.

The last time I remember having fun was during the first opening week of Hardmode for prophecies,and completeing the first 3 Ascalonian missions with myself and 3 other monks,two of which were smiting/protection or healing hybrids.

It was awesome.
My experience was similar.

Fopr the first week or two, HM was a blast... then the hard cores finished their titles, and it was impssible to find anyone doing HM anymore.

I tried finding a HM guild, and was highly disappointed. One wnated me to farm Kurzick points; another was there to collect donation toward a Guild Hall and then booted everyone. So much for the "social" nature of the game.

HM is also boring. It's the same monsters on steroids; I don't really need the loot, and at this point, titles are "nice" but not worth the paid of guiding idiot henchmen through.

Esan

Esan

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2007

Wars

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaoticCoyote
I tried finding a HM guild, and was highly disappointed.
You can try Guru's guild recruitment forums. I myself am looking for a HM guild, but the ones I have tried out for so far have not been exactly truthful in their advertisement posts.

ChaoticCoyote

ChaoticCoyote

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2006

Florida, USA

Imperial Order of the Iguana [IGGY]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esan
You can try Guru's guild recruitment forums. I myself am looking for a HM guild, but the ones I have tried out for so far have not been exactly truthful in their advertisement posts.
I had the same experience -- I'm not wasting any more time looking for a guild.

Over in WoW, I've had no trouble finding a good guild. Always someone on (even at odd hours), people who SPONTANEOUSLY offer help (guildy noticed on of my characters was new to an area, and volunteered, without ym saying anything, to take me to all of the flight points), and a group calendar that's full of activities.

GW? No user UI mods like guild banks or calendars; no interaction outside a few towns. GW is a *very* lonely game -- and I know it's not me, because I've easily found social activities in other online games.

Ah, well, such is life. At this point, I'm just waiting for the bonus missions, so I can finish GW1 and then clear up some disk space.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
I tried finding a HM guild, and was highly disappointed. One wnated me to farm Kurzick points; another was there to collect donation toward a Guild Hall and then booted everyone. So much for the "social" nature of the game.
Guilds that require donations are farming guilds. They serve one purpose only.

HM guild without fully equipped guild hall is an oxymoron. Any guild asking for donations of any kind is a poor one.

These should be warning signs big enough to avoid them by a mile. Good HM guild will have people bleeding ectos, dressed up in nothing but vanity skins, and not even think of spending time to pick up anything but gold drops. Each member will likely also have 10+ characters, and at least 2 accounts.

Quote:
GW? No user UI mods like guild banks or calendars; no interaction outside a few towns. GW is a *very* lonely game -- and I know it's not me, because I've easily found social activities in other online games.
Because it's too easy. Since with every major change PvE gets simplified more and more, with GW:EN dealing its final blow to any hint of challenge, there really isn't much need for community.

Why schedule a week in advance for stuff that takes 5-25 minutes solo.

People keep crying too hard too hard.... WoW is *impossible* solo. Cannot be done. It's carefully designed in such a way that you either outlevel something and solo it, or, for anything end-game, you need n members to beat it.

That's the problem with skill. In GW, if you're skilled or willing to learn, you master the areas, and nothing is there to stop you. But too many want WoW, where you grind without learning anything. And since the core gameplay couldn't change, they needed to lower the difficulty.

And then, you get a large version of pre-searing.

I have never, in any game, seen people actually wanting improvements to noob isle.

Social interaction doesn't come from thin air. It comes from need. It has been a very long time since there was any need for it in GW.

kradens

kradens

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2007

:P guess.

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tahlia Tane
So Hard Mode is not fun because it's hard?

*forehead slap*
classic sokka : P

aye to that.

Star Gazer

Star Gazer

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Zerohour Enterprises [ZHE]

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
Good HM guild will have people bleeding ectos, dressed up in nothing but vanity skins, and not even think of spending time to pick up anything but gold drops. Each member will likely also have 10+ characters, and at least 2 accounts.
ok, so I have vanquished all 3 chapters, 3 zones left in azura land to vanquish, hm missions done, BUT I only have one account. Does that make me unieet? btw, I pick up everything - its merch food for gold. please dont try to lump what you think HM guilds should be.

the_jos

the_jos

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2006

Hard Mode Legion [HML]

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antheus
These should be warning signs big enough to avoid them by a mile. Good HM guild will have people bleeding ectos, dressed up in nothing but vanity skins, and not even think of spending time to pick up anything but gold drops. Each member will likely also have 10+ characters, and at least 2 accounts.
Well, that's perhaps a bit too much, but you got the idea right.
A guild with only poor people and no full GH is probably not a HM guild or just started.
Even then, the officers and founder should be able to afford most NPCs if they are experienced HM players.

However, a lot of the HM players I know focus on a limited number of characters to play with.
They might have 10+, but I see them on one or two characters almost all the time.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaoticCoyote
GW? No user UI mods like guild banks or calendars; no interaction outside a few towns. GW is a *very* lonely game -- and I know it's not me, because I've easily found social activities in other online games.
No, it's not you, it's the game mechanics indeed.
A-net tried fixing it with the party window, but that only helped a bit.
The lack of a calendar/scheduler is annoying, since guild announcement is very small....

Snow Bunny

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

I think Antheus was a bit zealous in his summation of HM guilds, but it's a relatively good interpretation of them.

Most HM guilds are older, established, with more veteran players with a reasonably vested interest in the game (time) and thus have probably acquired veritable fortunes.

I'd assume if you are really serious about HM, SoF would probably be a good bet...others out there. Just gotta dig a little...

King Deviant

King Deviant

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Sep 2007

Marietta GA

R/N

One thing that i think HM may ruin is the value of golds.

Spazzer

Spazzer

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2006

USA

Team Asshat [Hat]

Mo/E

People can equip themselves properly without needing to visit Lion's Arch;. That's hardly a bad thing.

King Zeth

Academy Page

Join Date: Oct 2007

Eturnal Kingdom of Virtue

W/R

how do you access hard mode? or is it only for one of the games?

Onarik Amrak

Onarik Amrak

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2007

Astral Revenants

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by King Zeth
how do you access hard mode? or is it only for one of the games?
You have to beat the game first.