Rant on Mad King

As politely as i can ask..........if you have the time to replyto this thread so many times ans in SUCH detail quoting basically every person and explaining/arguing your pov i find it hard to believe you have that many other commitments...you seemed to have prioritized this and could have just as easily focused on the event..... just an observation no dis-respect intended but c'mon...............you have put soooooooooo much effort into this, wouldnt a little of this effort had seved you better in the 24 hours to get the things you claim u dont have time to get...........

now i guess you will flame me for not using perfect grammer or punctuation to try once again divert attention from an issue that isnt really much of an issue to begin with....... this is clearly just a reason to have a little " excitement" in your life by starting/prolonging a pointless discussion

my advice............. slowly back away from the computer and get a puppy or a real life friend

its a childs toy ( guild wars) please dont ever loose sight of that........ have a wonderful REAL day

In life sometimes you are really busy and other times not so much. Tonight (after the event ended) I have had more time which I (foolishly) have spent on this thread. During the event itself I was obviously busier. Also many of my posts don't take that long to write, except the most recent (end of page 2).

If you have noticed, I try to refrain from ad hominem attacks and look at the content of the posts rather than their presentation or implications. I do take issue with the "once again divert attention" because I do not believe I have flamed people for bad spelling or grammar previously. "Once again" implies I have.

I have no real need for a puppy thanks and already have a real life. Between work and other commitments I am a rather active person, e.g recently bought some Five Fingers and am loving them.

So why do I respond to posts in a detailed manner?
Despire quoting John Stuart Mill (or was it Jeremy Bentham?) I find Kant's categorical imperative a better ethical theory. It advocates treating people as ends rather than means ... I think that should apply to forums as well as general life.

Have a good day (or night).

You know, if you really hate this event with the "lack of time" it gives you, you're really going to go off on Wintersday... Same amount of time between events with 4 hats instead of just two... Good Luck.


ps. You're taking this far too seriously to keep replying to everything everyone says. Let it go and enjoy your "lack of time".

Even if you can't AFK for the masks (which you CAN, instead of choosing not to), all it takes is 30-45 minutes at any of 9 preset times over a 24 hour period to get both of the masks.

If you claim that you were so busy over that entire 24 hour period that you were unable to log into Guild Wars for 30 minutes, I would say I don't believe you.

Get over it already. Holidays are typically ONE day. Plan for it. Because I have to work during a holiday, should I ask the govt/my employer/my mommy for an extension? Why would any institution, let alone Anet, warp time for the special snowflakes that happen to be busy on a holiday?

Oh, and a solution to your inability to leave your WORK computer on 24/7: Buy a HOME computer that you can leave on 24/7. It takes just 5 seconds out of your day to change from LA to Kamadan during that 24 hour period to get both hats.

Oh, and for that person afraid of frying his computer by leaving it on all day, please. Once upon a time, when we first started playing GW, we had an ancient, 3rd computer (P3, 996 mhz) that we could leave on while at work/overnight without it detonating.

More proof of the concept - you can't please everyone.

I go along with Cluebag - I have to work the night shift this Christmas, I demand that Santa Claus comes more than just once.

(jk- I don't work the night shift - or any shift for that matter.)

A small percent of people are always going to miss out on events no matter how frequent you make the appearances. I actually thought that 8 appearances over a twenty four hour period is quite flexible because really, who is going to be too busy over a 24 hour period working/sleeping/socializing to log in for one or two of the 2 minute time frames over which the King gives out the hat? Oh well...the masks will be old news by Monday anyway.

/dance then go afk, you get about 10 ToT bags plus the hat. Server jumping also works most of the time, i always go to a high number district in LA first. A soon as the mad king leaves, zip over to the last Kamadan server and the mad king is normally still there. This worked two out of the three visits i managed to catch yesterday.

So you're telling us you have no time to play it yet you want less repetitive visits to which obviously you can't assist?

How hard can it be to leave your computer with GW up for some hours and get the masks while you're AFK, only switching to the other town after the first arrival in the first town?

And finally, the two weeks that Wintersday lasts will be enough for you to make time in your incredibly bussy schedule?

I am sorry I just can't support more visits. Halloween is celebrated on the 31st not the 30th or 1st of November. (Btw. thats reason 1)

#2 Even my husband who is out of the house 16 hrs a day for work was able to log in and get both hats in the 24 hr time frame. (On 3 accts also)

#3 If you can't find 2 minutes in 24 hrs to get the hats and participate how will you find 2 minutes in 48 hrs?

Anet gives plenty of time, advance notice that the Mad King is coming and when exactly he will be showing up. Time management works wonders!

Not to mention the earlier hats we lost before the Festival Hat trader was added because we had to delete them to make space in Inventory/Xunlai Chest

Can we get this thread moved to:

If one wanna post a rant about the Halloween festival, why not posting a rant about all the negative energy coming from players? Yes, after 3 years the bad jokes of the Mad King may be boring, yet if I wouldn't participate, that wouldn't be because of this, but because of all 12 years old kids who absolutely have to say "noob" to everyone who typo an emote...

Ye, it was kinda bad that King didn't appear on Sunday, like every event.

.....Pumpkin still beats this years hats.

Every single event that anet does for us one of these threads pop up.
Oh Noez!! My life is too busy to take 2 mins to log in to gw!
They schedule the events for a 24 hour period for people that do have work, high school, college, mid terms, sick kid, dyeing grandmother, a kitty cat with a hairball, or your dog that has the squirts.
In 24 hours out of the day you could find 2 mins to log yourself in, go fix your dinner, take a shower, sleep, or clean up after your dog with the squirts to get a hat.
If it's not important to you and your life is too busy to play games then why come on a forum to complain that it's not important to you and your life is too busy and the events should last longer so you can take time out of your oh so busy schedule to get a hat thats not even important to you?

Once again, people just looking for things to complain about.

I went afk, but I didn't know you had to be in the flower circles, RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO this, I had to work and pass out candy, That's BS

Daze did not say "off to work", he/she said "off of work". Big difference there.

Consider for a second that some people have access to internet at work and can post on forums while at work. Also consider that some people do not work very far from home and could easily make it home from work in 54 minutes or less. Then consider getting less butthurt when people think it's stupid to complain about an in-game event.

"The Festival Hats are sometimes considered prestige items as they demonstrate the players were around when a certain event has occurred." - Guildwiki

see? so if you were not around, you don't get it, simple enough?

Just like you don't complain to NFL because superbowl is on a day where you are in another county without TV, or ask for a concert to be postponed because you have OT that night, ESPECIALLY when you are informed of the time and place beforehand, plenty of time for you to prepare for it if you really want it.

i agree i think the mad king should show up from the start of the event to the end. that way the max amount of people can see him and get the rewards from him. and i think that is something that needs to change for all events. i know the first day would be unrealistic for most of the events because of the "requirements" (like the jade orbs) to get the hats but i think the main event needs to last longer then just the one day. especially if the hole thing is done remotely. this would also make it so there is less lag on the last day of the event.

but then you would have to do it with the Dragon Festival and Christmas festivals too... its unrealistic and removes the uniqueness (not that there is much after 3 years, but still)

How did you get Tot bags when you weren't doing any emotes?When you go afk you only get the mask.It would be nice if it continude untill the weekend seeing as how Halloween falls on it.

Mad King Says I assume, although I myself got ToT bags before that while not doing any emotes.

Finally! Someone with a bit of understanding for another person! We have no idea of the OPs work schedule, home schedule. For all we know hes a collage student working 12 hours a day with 4 kids to support as well.(Not saying this IS his case, but you never know)...and people have the nerve to criticize the OP because he has used his god given right to offer an idea for future use? (I for 1 did not see his comments as complaints, more like future ideas).Yes, i agree, 9 visits is not nearly enough. I have several guild members that COULD NOT log on for that 24 hour period to even go afk. And that is sad. All week long they get to look at the decorations knowing that they will not have the opportunity to participate in the games. Its the same members that can never be on for the weekends due to personal/work/family reasons. As for some folks saying "make the time" well that's easy for the highschool student to say that has no responsabilites other then homework and maybe take out the trash. But for the people that have real responsabilites, "making time" is not so easy. Im not saying none of you have resposabilites, but come on folks, think before you criticize please. Just because some of you have it easy, DOES NOT mean everyone does. There is no reason what so ever why the mad king could not have shown up more often or for an added day.

first off if you read what i was saying you would see that i addressed this. and secondly why would it remove uniqueness? all it dose now is denied people who actually go out on holidays from getting the hats. and i think a huge part of the player base leaves and dost have access to a computer maybe not so much for this holiday but for xmass and new year they do.

Wow you guys just like to disagree to be trolls don't you? OP don't bother making a thread on guru here, none of these people know how to act. I agree with you kind of, but the person that said Halloween is only on the 31st is right, it'd be kind of silly to have the King come on the 1st as well. That's probably why Anet only has it on one day. You could have a hat vendor, that would work but I'm sure one of these "great" people in this thread would end up complaining about that.

You guys need to grow up seriously.

It's funny how people disagree with this guy but can't deal with someone using a golem tonic when the Mad King is visiting. QQ moar?

No, you've completely missed the point. I'm saying that if it was more frequent, you've got the choice of either going to the event and getting free event items or deliberately gimping your char by playing instead and NOT getting those event items. More choice? Hardly - instead, there is actually less choice, since you're penalised if you play the game!

If they make the event more frequent, the amount of items given out would need to be reduced from what they are now - otherwise you're flooding the game with 3 times the number of event items. That would mean that to get the same number of items, you'd need to be there for every event. That leaves NO time for playing, and is no choice at all really.

A lot of people, if logged in during an event finale, feel pretty much compelled to be at the event finale - they can't get the items given out later after all (not free anyway - which is the whole point!), and the items are useful for vanquishing, titles, etc. Making the finales more frequent means that there is never any time to play between them.

And for those that *do* play the finale instead of afk-ing (as I did every chance I could)....the 1st time, the jokes are amusing. The 5th, they're just grinding boring. Turning that into the 14th? Urgh *shudders*.

Edit: As for missing out on hats because you're away from home? The first halloween, my husband and I were on our honeymoon. No computers, no internet. My favourite hat in the game is the witches hat - and we both missed out because we were not home for the festival. I wouldn't be complaining to ANet and asking them to change their festival just because I wasn't going to be home or couldn't make time for it when it was scheduled...if I've got other things on that meant that I would miss out completely, then it's just my bad luck.

not really important but i wouldn't mind this so i can afk both my accounts

Um you still have a choice. I think you're looking into this gimping thing too much. Because you might get a stack if you went to all the events, they could cut the number down you get by 5 or so or none at all. It wouldn't really matter, it'd make the stack worth less which is no big deal. Because really now, what do you have to buy that will make your character better? Oh that's right it's Guild Wars and to be good you just have to make a PvP character. The only real reason I can see is not being able to sell the ToT bags for as much and not being able to buy certain runes, which would not really gimp your character in the long run anyways.

But what you said about the King's boring speech, yes it would get old even if Anet changed it. So while you're gimping reason is hardly a reason because it's still choice and your opinion, the final thing you said I can agree with. Which is why they should have another way to get the hat for people who can't make it. I mean it is Guild Wars, if they make everything nearly equal may as well let everyone get the damn hats.

Um...free party items (which are not easy to get without a festival - Snowman cave is pretty much it)...free alcohol...free boosts to help when you just over-aggroed on a vanquish by mistake 3/4 of the way through so you can still finish it...stuff selling them, for anyone working towards titles/HoM it does make a difference.

So do what they do in the Canthan New Year festival (I think it's the new year one...). There's a guy that stands there that swaps 250 event tokens for a mask (240 of which can be got in a series of short quests, the rest drop from kills), and he hangs around for a few days after the festival.

You don't have to change the frequency of the festival events to make the masks more accessible.

No. The tot bags from 30 minutes of mad king boredom can be got with 10 mins of Raptor farming.

Problem at the moment is GW is grind wars and so people are compelled to AFK (less boring than grind farming) the game due to the poor design.

I'm mad the King didn't come today as well :S.

Yeah I forgot about the consumable things that give boosts. I guess you can use the "I'm gimped if I don't have the best" which is true in a sense, but doesn't mean you can't accomplish what you need to do.


That's would be my choice for all festivals. That way everyone can be satisfied in one way or another.

Oh I get it! Mad, King, Mad King, ahhhaahah nice one!

He did

7am GMT
4am GMT
&
1am GMT

lol. you may want to read those 3 posts again to avoid your embarrassment. First post said "at work" second post said "Off work" (not off to work) 3rd post said "home from work" Im not sure about where you are from but where i am from. "off work" means ummm OFF WORK.. I can see that you have resorted to arguing semantics however and resorted to trying to attack my credibility by calling me a 13 year old. this thread has moved from lame to sad I am shocked that it has drawn out to 4 pages of useless crap about why Halloween should be longer than one day. But i digress I can see the intelligence i am dealing with when someone cant even chronologically piece together three posts. Oh well.. Sigh
Good luck on your pointless complaint.

Lol fenix

Ya I was kinda sleeping at those times lol.

I see a few problems, but it's all point/counterpoint. There is nothing that one person can say that isn't going to be argued against by another person/group of people. Simply stated, if you aren't logged on to GW 24/7 you aren't going to have as many opportunities as someone who is. It doesn't matter if it's during a holiday end event or not. There is no rant, complaint, or QQ that can be posted to which a perfect answer exists. Why? Because someone will always have a problem with it, and most people have no problems with the anonymity of the Internet being as it is with posting whatever they think about whatever they read. Everyone has posted opinions in this thread, though, and opinions are like assholes - everyone has one, not everyone wants to see everyone else's; but at the end of the day, everyone still has one, like it or not.

As far as work getting in the way, I can understand that. I work a bare minimum of 5 days a week, sometimes working all 7 days, and into the next week (sometimes until the end of the next week) before I get a day off. Bear in mind, my days fluctuate from 4 hour cover shifts to 16 hour doubles. Don't know if ANet is ever going to change the schedule though. They've done it this way for 3 years, and it's their prerogative to continue doing so for as long as they wish, or to change it, should they want to.

I have a wife, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a conure. I work an hour's drive away from my home, and that doesn't include paying bills, doctor's visits (scheduled or emergency, since my wife is going through Physical Therapy at the moment), grocery shopping, socializing IRL, etc. I have to pick and choose what events I go to, and which masks are worth my time (since very few of them I actually enjoy having), because honestly real life will be around for much longer than GW will be.

This particular event I missed out on both masks. Why? Because I chose to. My wife was out of town and she enjoys the masks more than I do. I attempted to hit 3 of the events, but during one (which I was AFK) my PC dropped connection, so that one was a no-go; in the two events I did attend, District/Server jumping did not work. Personally, I wanted the Zombie Facepaint for my account, but, I knew that my wife would enjoy the masks far more than I ever would (as Halloween is her favorite holiday of the year), so I got both masks for her instead of one for her and one for me.

OP, it sucks that you didn't have as many options as you would prefer, and I understand that this is a rant, not a crythread. I'm sure that ANet has their reasons for doing it like they do, and they did point out that all event Masks are basically Viagra for your e-peen; still, thanks for the suggestions, all we can do is wait to see if ANet ever implements them. If they don't, it won't much affect my enjoyment (usually my wife does the masks for both of us simultaneously so that in case I want the masks I have them - this event she just happened to be out of town), if they do, I can look forward to more holiday goodies to sell, give to my wife, or open.

There. No QQ. Just facts, and choices, and my opinions. So much for the time I spent writing this thread, I'm sure someone will find a way to turn my words into QQ either supporting or opposing the OP. Someone always does on a forum. Meh. Back to work I go, maybe I'll farm some ToT's once I get home later tonight, who knows...

It's a widely accepted fact that it's actually more stressful on a PC to turn it on and off every day than it is to leave it on all the time. Power up / power down stresses components in a way that not much else does.

If you can play Guild Wars without crashes for any significant amount of time, then the risk of "frying it" by simply leaving your PC on (even WITH GW running minimized) is trivially low.

You don't even have to take my word for it - look into it/do the research yourself.

HTH.

@OP: I'm of the opinion that the hats represent the fact that you WERE able to MAKE the time to attend the festival. For example, I wasn't playing GW during the first Halloween event, and so I don't have the original pumpkin hat. It also happens to be my favorite of the Halloween hats. Even so, I still wouldn't want the system to be changed, as that would change/ruin the spirit of the thing: I wasn't there, so I don't have that hat. Simple.

Sure, it may be a slightly different scenario, but I think it's similar enough to what you're asking for as to apply. Tradition, man.

Also, as has been said, if it was important to you, you'd have made the time. Life is all about prioritizing.