The Stagnation of Guild Wars: How can we/I avoid it?

garethporlest18

garethporlest18

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

[HiDe]

W/

You should be happy, now you can move on to better games. Or stop playing games altogether and try to live the life of one of those social outgoing folks.

You're not gonna avoid boredom, so just give into it and go to better, greener pastures.

Etta

Etta

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2006

Mancland, British Empire

Get yourself an Orange box.

Skuld

Skuld

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Sep 2005

Thousend Tigers Apund Ur Head [Ttgr]

A/

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Snow Bunny

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

Go out, do something physical, and dangerous, like base jumping. Break an arm, maybe a leg, get largely confined to sitting/laying down.

Then GW will have a lot of appeal alllll over again.

True story, not me though.

Just step back from it, wait for GW2. Every game gets boring.

lacasner

lacasner

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2006

I have PvPed, PvEd (gotten rich in a short amount of time from merchanting and good drops, the Fow and etc. Me, like others, have also taken breaks, like I said.
I appreciate everyone's advice though, and the majority seems to think that prolonged breaks are good, and I probably agree.

However, on a more complicated issue, do you guys think that GW as a game is stagnant and doesn't offer a lot of options? My opinion, as I said, is that it is(because of recent lack of skill balances, PvP changes, PvE wise the loot scaling and the screwing-up of the economy, etc.)

However, I'd like to know the perspective of the community, if you agree/disagree with this assertion, and if so what can be done/not done to make the game more entertaining?

Please Discuss

garethporlest18

garethporlest18

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

[HiDe]

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by lacasner
I have PvPed, PvEd (gotten rich in a short amount of time from merchanting and good drops, the Fow and etc. Me, like others, have also taken breaks, like I said.
I appreciate everyone's advice though, and the majority seems to think that prolonged breaks are good, and I probably agree.

However, on a more complicated issue, do you guys think that GW as a game is stagnant and doesn't offer a lot of options? My opinion, as I said, is that it is(because of recent lack of skill balances, PvP changes, PvE wise the loot scaling and the screwing-up of the economy, etc.)

However, I'd like to know the perspective of the community, if you agree/disagree with this assertion, and if so what can be done/not done to make the game more entertaining?

Please Discuss
Yes I think Guild Wars is very stagnant. When you look up examples in the dictionary, Guild Wars should be there. I think there are two MMOs in general that are less stagnant because they have more, non boring content. Course that's all opinion and if I was just starting this game I'd totally disagree with myself.

I do however think it's quite linear.

Kelsey Cain

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2006

I am in the same position, it has become stagnant for a number of reasons.

First and foremost is the unchanging nature of the game, a point I outlined in this post:


http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10210994

However It was also the announcement of GW2 that did it for me - what is the point of developing a set of characters that I know I'm not going to be playing in 2 years time? An earlier announcement about rewards from HOM might have proved to be enough motivation for me to carry on playing but Anet either hasn't worked out HOM yet or isn't willing to tell us.

Been playing the Tabula Rasa beta for a few weeks now and looking forward to the game going live in a few days time. NCsoft will still be getting my money but sadly I think I have bought my last GW product. I'm even wondering at this point if I'll be bothered logging back on to play the bonus missions when they are released.

Sad.....because I really did enjoy playing GW

gremlin

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2006

GWAR

Me/Mo

I quit Guild wars after I finished Factions.
Came back when I got nightfall but it was hard to have the same enthusiasm of those early days.
So quit again went away did other stuff enjoyed the Summer and have just come back to GW again.

I am happy and enjoying it as much as before but the pressure is off, I care not for titles I just play as and when I want to.

Jump from game to game depending how I feel at the time, but now I play it to relax not to beat the game.
rather than to get to the end get more money more items in short I have become a mature "and probably boring" gw player.

Esan

Esan

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2007

Wars

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelsey Cain
Been playing the Tabula Rasa beta for a few weeks now and looking forward to the game going live in a few days time.
Coming from a highly polished game like Guild Wars, don't the Tabula Rasa bugs drive you crazy? Rubberbanding everywhere, massive texturing glitches, rubbery character animation, etc. Maybe they have improved now, but it was unplayable for me in the earlier closed beta.

After the epic phail that Fury has been, I am a bit wary of expecting too much from non-Anet studios.

PureEvilYak

PureEvilYak

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2006

Somewhere Luxon Alignment: Chaos

The Dark Fortress

R/

I get this feeling every few months. Luckily, I have a subconscious that times it well to game releases I like. Oblivion, Resi Evil 4, and now Metroid Prime: Corruption have all been timed perfectly to when GW was getting boring. Hoping my next one will be timed to Spores release...

But yeah, find something else to do for a few weeks/months. If you don't find a hundred new things to do when you next log on, then maybe you've gotten utterly bored of the game. In that case, nothing much you can do but find something else do do. Learning a musical instrument seems like an interesting choice at the moment.

Kelsey Cain

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esan
Coming from a highly polished game like Guild Wars, don't the Tabula Rasa bugs drive you crazy? Rubberbanding everywhere, massive texturing glitches, rubbery character animation, etc. Maybe they have improved now, but it was unplayable for me in the earlier closed beta.
Lots of updates during the last few weeks of the beta apparently sorted out many of the problems that were there prior to my arrival - had to buy another 1gb RAM to cure the '5-10 second hangs' that were occurring, but other than that; graphically its great, it's a whole lot of fun, has lots of potential and most importantly there isn't a Tabula Rasa 2 on the horizon!

Zinger314

Zinger314

Debbie Downer

Join Date: May 2006

N/Me

To answer the question of Guild Wars's stagnation, yes, it is stagnant.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dictionary.com (where else?)
stagnation: to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing
ArenaNet already said they don't give a crap about Guild Wars until Guild Wars 2 is released. How direct can you get about the state of Guild Wars?

Ulterion

Ulterion

Banned

Join Date: Jun 2007

defiinitely noyb

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
To answer the question of Guild Wars's stagnation, yes, it is stagnant.



ArenaNet already said they don't give a crap about Guild Wars until Guild Wars 2 is released. How direct can you get about the state of Guild Wars?
Cannot agree with you more... esp. with all the bs updates they've come out with after 2 years (i.e.: Dishonorable, /report, text-fade).

GG Anet... G... g... Oh and btw Anet will never change. They think they're too high up there and never wrong.

Mineria

Mineria

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2007

Denmark

Dragonslayers Of The [Mist]

W/Mo

It's not more stagnant then what you make it to.
This goes for all rpg's and mmo's out there.

Edge Martinez

Edge Martinez

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

NC

DKL

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulterion
Oh and btw Anet will never change. They think they're too high up there and never wrong.
Well, they can. You have like some people on here who defend ANET like it was Islam or Christianity or something. You can't discuss anything that isn't all carebeary without people just going straight to extremes.

Some of the stuff you read on here is funny, "ANET changed every skill on my bar because of PvP... but it's not their fault... it's the players fault... ANET would never hurt me... they told me my opinion matters... really... it has to be the players... because forums are important... except the majority of the posters are really the minority... but ANET loves me... it was just the one time... and the title grind... and then the heroes thing... oh, and that weak expansion... they love me, I tell you!"

For anything else besides video games, there'd be a crisis hotline for that kind of stuff.

To the OP, just play Oblivion. Don't forget to log into GW every now and then to keep your accounts active, but definitely try another game or another pass time.

TaCktiX

TaCktiX

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2006

The Order of Chaos Reborn [ToC]

There's an adage that goes something like "Overdo it, and it will get boring." I have logged 2201 hours in 16 months, and yet Guild Wars is far from boring to me. One simple reason: I have refused to grind as much as possible. I can honestly say the only grind I did was to get Legendary Spearmarshal (that's one run I'm never doing EVER again).

So how to avoid the grind? Give up farming the same place over...and over...and over. Even when grinding for Legendary Spearmarshal, I did only 3 runs a day, then did something else. People have stated "start another character." I certainly agree. I have 14 characters, 11 of them PvE, 3 PvP slots (my PvP monk and ranger never get deleted, though). I get bored with my main character getting a title, I roll into RA and kill some poor souls with crappy builds. If it's in the evening, I roll onto my monk and go HA.

On my main character, I have 13 max titles, and yet I did the grind for none of them. I have Legendary Skill Hunter and Legendary Guardian, and yet I did grind for neither. I went slow-but-steady on every title (aside from Guardian of Tyria, but that was FUN to finish off). I'm nearing Tyrian Vanquisher finally, nearly 6 months after Hard Mode released (c'mon, who else reading this thread has done had Legendary Vanquisher?).

So the easiest way to break the boredom, break the stagnation: slow and steady on many different characters. I have 14 Protector titles spread across 7 different people. I'm going for Legendary Defender of Ascalon on one of my Mesmers and it's not boring yet because I don't overdo it.

In sum, don't overdo it. If you start feeling the boredom creep, log out of that character and log into something else.

TheLichMonky

TheLichMonky

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2007

Does it matter?

Im to good for guilds

OR you can sit in Marhans grotto and watch people argue the day away... quite funny actually xD

holababe

holababe

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2006

Goon Squad [LLJK]

Mo/

Have goals.
I got myself the goal to do DoA and now GW is much more interesting

Bale_Shadowscar

Bale_Shadowscar

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

Manchester, England

New Dragons [NDR]

One of the main benefits of guild wars is that the No monthly fee allows you to quit and take breaks without any punishment. You can quit and start playing another game, and then if ANet release an update that interests you next year sometime, you can just log back on and enjoy it. You don't have to pay for all the months you're not using it.

Aera Lure

Aera Lure

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

In Baltar's head

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

Mo/

I've retired for a few months in between every expansion. After the excitement of a new chapter there is often a let down for me when after some months I cant find anything new in it and there is no new content release.

I have found that after enough months I'll want to come back, see where I am at and try something new, be it work on something different, socialize and play in PUGs until I find direction, play a different character, etc. Just finding some fun through random things in game. Sounds to me you (the OP) havent quite gotten there yet if you havent the urge to try anything when you log on.

There's no more new chapters/expansions. We can only hope for some new content. With exploration of each of those no longer a factor towards bringing someone back I can only say set some goals. Titles pretty much. Its all that's left to do in PvE if you arent playing other characters through. When you actually get doing some of them, they're quite fun, especially if you have someone who is pursuing similar titles/goals as you. Try a guild that pursues titles actively, play in HM, set some goals and try working on them and see what happens.

I have bemoaned titles in the past on numerous occasions. I still wish there was something more substantial to develop or do. Nonetheless, if you set some title-based goals I find it gets you playing for something. If you then focus not on the titles per se (you dont want it to seem like a chore) but simply the actions while you are pursuing them, it can be pretty fun, since it gets you playing again and fun comes from that.

I do wish Anet would keep developing a few new things every month or two to keep the game environment fresher. Not a chapter so much necessarily, but things like new AB maps, new PvP maps, a little new content area like a toned down SF every so often, a new quest or development like the IDS discovery, etc. Would be nice, but dont hold your breath.

Still, give some titles a whirl. If not, well, there's really nothing wrong with some time out. Been there done that too.

Antheus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulterion
Cannot agree with you more... esp. with all the bs updates they've come out with after 2 years (i.e.: Dishonorable, /report, text-fade).
Report is a feature that would have prevented lots of stagnation, since griefers wouldn't have run away hordes of players. It's one of the features which came at least 2 years too late.

These days, PvP is almost reborn, with droves of new players everywhere, more than at any time ever. All the annoying elements from PvP are mostly a faint memory.

Auction house and character changer would fix the two remaining problems in PvE, and would give GW quite a nice future.

Quote:
GG Anet... G... g... Oh and btw Anet will never change. They think they're too high up there and never wrong.
And some players will never change. They think they're too high up there and never wrong.

zwei2stein

zwei2stein

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Jun 2006

Europe

The German Order [GER]

N/

* you have no obligation to keep playing game. it really silly wanting game to last life for you
* if you no longer have fun but still want to get your daily dose, you have to face fact that you are addicted.
* there is nothing bad with stopping to play game. hell, it only has positives.
* there will be no mob of gw players in front of your house if you dont login. dont get bullshited by typical kneejerk reaction fro quiting threads, noone cares about you no quiting game you no longer care for.

anyway, whats with kids which so desperatelly want game last forever or go on about "investement" in game.

ChaoticCoyote

ChaoticCoyote

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2006

Florida, USA

Imperial Order of the Iguana [IGGY]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by lacasner
Is that what all experienced players did? Purely quit? Surely there must be more alternatives than that, although they escape me completely.
Quitting is a viable and reasonable altertive.

I have. I'll probably play a bit when the Bonus Mission Pack comes out, but otherwise, I'm done with GW1 in its current form.

There's nothing wrong with playing other games. It's not like you're married to GW... it's just a game.

I'm having great fun in two other MMOs.

savage vapor 33

savage vapor 33

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2006

Regems Basement

The Malevolent Wolfpack [tMw]

Quote:
Originally Posted by zwei2stein
* you have no obligation to keep playing game. it really silly wanting game to last life for you
* if you no longer have fun but still want to get your daily dose, you have to face fact that you are addicted.
* there is nothing bad with stopping to play game. hell, it only has positives.
* there will be no mob of gw players in front of your house if you dont login. dont get bullshited by typical kneejerk reaction fro quiting threads, noone cares about you no quiting game you no longer care for.

anyway, whats with kids which so desperatelly want game last forever or go on about "investement" in game.
Or in other words, if your addicted quit. If not quit.

teenchi

teenchi

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

PST

Heros of Titans Realm [HotR]

W/Mo

Quote:
I don't get bored with GW for a couple of reasons.

IN-GAME:
1. I don't do the same thing over and over and over. I may Vanquish an area one day, help people through missions/quests another. I may just spend time in town drunk, congradulating people on getting maxed titles and B.Sing with guildes/friends on TS.
2. I vary the way I play - sometimes I'll go out soloing, sometimes I'll PUG, sometimes I H/H or run with friends.
3. I may tackle a dungeon or Tombs run or even go jump into an alliance battle or two to break up the monotony.

OUTSIDE OF GAME: I just take a break for a day or two. I'll spend an evening just kicking back watching movies or going out with friends. Weekends, I get outside and do stuff.
This is exactly how I play the game too and I've been playing since the beginning and haven't gotten bored yet. I don't farm, I don't grind. I play all 10 professions and try to do all the quests and missions. This leaves me lots of choices.

Shuuda

Shuuda

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2006

Guildless

Me/

All games get boring, it's wrong to solely blame Anet if you get bored. So some free tips.

1. Take a break. Guild Wars is not your wife.
2. There is something called PvP, don't listen to all the "elitism" whiners.
3. You don't need to grind as much as the whinefest threads say you do.

Age

Age

Hall Hero

Join Date: Jul 2005

California Canada/BC

STG Administrator

Mo/

I don't think he alone in this as I have noticed less players playing the game and there are becoming less districts.It is the old question as to what do I want to do when logging in this,that or the other.It is not only that my guild has gotten quiet as well as the alliance I am in.

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

I wouldn't say that the "lack of activity" is the cause of less districts, Age. The game is just huge now.

Age

Age

Hall Hero

Join Date: Jul 2005

California Canada/BC

STG Administrator

Mo/

I know it is big but KC now having only 5 districts as well Droks.

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

Exactly. The whole playerbase is spread between four campaigns, essentially. It's never been so spread about before.

undeadgun

undeadgun

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2006

US

Its Rainning Fame Hallelujah[伞回伞], also as guild leader

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Etta
Get yourself an Orange box.
just got one last week

to OP, this really a personal issuse that others cant really helps out, if u do still like the game, play it, no one can stops you, if you feel play the game is a painful for you, then stop play, and find other things that can or may interests you, and least try it. nevertheless, guru always a good place to find out what's going on and have some discusstions with others, so even if u really do quit GW, come on guru and have some fun, wish you the best

Martin Firestorm

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2005

Louisiana

E/Me

No offense OP, but I don't get it. You like it, you play it. You don't like it, you play something else. You play something else and find yourself eventually longing for GW, you fire your GW back up. I guess that's what you call the taking a break method. Why wouldn't you move onto something else if you're finding GW boring and not fun?

Red Sonya

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

The reason GW gets boring to the many is because it has no evolution of characters or equipment. Level 20 max and +15%^50 just gets old and stagnant and they can't make or will make content fast enough to keep the game from becoming boring. Thus the introduction of grind titles that give some advantages over others if you do them. Like Treasure Hunter, Wisdom, Sunspear and Lightbringer and Lucky/Unlucky and then Kurzick and Luxon faction PVE skills and the reputation requirements for armor and such in GWEN. All these are good things, but, still not enough. There should be crafting in the game better than bring me 5 of these and 20gp and get that. I want something like EQ2 crafting system.

Hopefully GW2 is going to solve all this stagnation that just about everyone hits or will hit eventually. There's got to be a carrot in front of the horse for there to be continued goals and fun. There's got to be near unlimited levels (as the developers have talked about for GW2) There's got to be unlimited equipment or at least much much higher than 15%^50 and more ways to mod our equipment to make many more ways to use it. Like I've always wanted a +10% Haste mod for weapons to increase their speed of attack or even the same for speed of movement instead of the sorry 20/20 sundering the idiots think is so great. It would also be nice to have mods like Holy and Light and Chaos and Dark damage for melee weapons afterall they have the elemental damages for Staves and Rods. It would be nice to also be able to mod them anyway you want as well.

Yes boredom sets in easily in a game like this because it's more like an offline rpg you play once and then you're done instead of an online MMO that you play forever because there's always something exciting and new to do.

nechronius

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

Southern Cali

Herald of the Storm

W/R

Boredom is a state of mind. If you've bored yourself of the game, take a break or leave. Not a lot of games provide you with thousands of hours of gameplay for the money. Consider it Time spent on entertainment and move on if you need to. a.net adds whatever additional content they can or run special events, but you can't rely on this to be your primary source of interest. My two rupees.

Mohnzh

Mohnzh

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2007

Might find me roaming around doing missions in hard mode...or maybe I'm lost in the Underworld...

[KCOR]

Mo/

I play blindfolded. Here's what you do:

1) Put some football or Enya on in the background, whatever is most to your liking
2) Leave an outpost into an explorable area
3) Put on blindfold
4) Start clicking the mouse and about every ten seconds hit a key on the keyboard (it's more fun if you don't position your fingers before putting on the blindfold)
5) When you wake up, see if you got any drops
6) For added challenge, solo HM

If that doesn't get you fired up for GW, play some Tetris. After three days of Tetris redundancy you will be begging for GW .

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mohnzh
I play blindfolded. Here's what you do:

1) Put some football or Enya on in the background, whatever is most to your liking
2) Leave an outpost into an explorable area
3) Put on blindfold
4) Start clicking the mouse and about every ten seconds hit a key on the keyboard (it's more fun if you don't position your fingers before putting on the blindfold)
5) When you wake up, see if you got any drops
6) For added challenge, solo HM

If that doesn't get you fired up for GW, play some Tetris. After three days of Tetris redundancy you will be begging for GW .
I played like this for a day. Kept me interested for a good 10 minutes.

zamial

zamial

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2006

Usa

TKC

N/

I will start off by saying that I have NEVER been bored or expressed that to others in my guild/alliance. The "I'm bored" 90% of the time is = to I'm lazy, lonely and can't find my own fun....so please hold my hand......

I do need to change up Characters, farm spots, builds, to keep me interested so I will give you a few suggestions:

1: Get a goal and work at it.

2: Make a 1st guildwars player character: Pick any class, play a campaign through without: storage, buying items from other players, only pug or hench (no heros), the skills that you can buy/earn no tomes, no runs, no /bonus items, in every town do ALL the side quests you can find. NO guild/alliance help.

3: invent a new build.
A personal favorite is echo chaining the assassin support on my assassin
or echo chaining insidious parasite on my necro.

4:Go farming in low level areas. agro and kill kill kill. (this gets old fast but is fun)

5:Make a newbies day: hook up with a low level noob and help them out, give them some pointers/gear they can use for FREE.

6: incite a drunken naked dance party.

7: incite a religious/political debate in any major city, thats good for laughs if you won't be easily offended.

8: challenge random people to a 1 vs. 1 scrimmage at your guild hall. If they win you can revoke there guest privileges and they disappear anyways.

When all of these have failed think up some new mischief or find a dif game to play there are alot of free games to play but none as good as GW.

cosyfiep

cosyfiep

are we there yet?

Join Date: Dec 2005

in a land far far away

guild? I am supposed to have a guild?

Rt/

yeah its gets boring every once in a while, then I stop and do something else. Recently I got bored of farming for ebon points....so I am doing quests with another character in a totally different place, and I have been working a few thru nightfall. (Still not relishing the thought of getting another 10k ebon points for the armor, and no I havent done the other quests yet and seeing as I have 15 toons dont really want to do them with this one.....so I stopped playing in the ebon areas). I am not really finding eton all that interesting past the first play thru, actually I have been doing lots of stuff in factions again and it has brought some new life into that chapter for me.

So do different things, stop playing for a while (being out of the country for 3 weeks helped me want to play again )......nothing says you have to play every day and such....play when you feel like it. You have already paid for the game so you can feel free to play when and as you please.

lacasner

lacasner

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2006

Thanks for everyone's contribution like I've already stated, really though I feel that the advice you guys have given me is secondary to the opinion on whether or not GW truly is "stagnant" or not.(try to analyze if you can)

I already stated this before though, but some people haven't read the thread which is fine. However, if we can let's please shift the discussion over to this aspect (which I find more important than my own personal gripes :P)

Malice Black

Site Legend

Join Date: Oct 2005

It's stagnant....tempted to wipe my primary account of everything, then shelve GW for a while.