locked gates are nothing but frustration

Actually, I am. You originally said "recode", not "new code", and I can't see why there would have to be extensive changes to existing code. Even new code wouldn't be all that extensive. See my previous post. They wouldn't need to "recode previous chapters" to do this, unless the existing design is poor and not amenable to such changes. But I'd imagine that since they were always planning to add new chapters and professions, they would have (or should have) designed with that in mind from day one.

here's my beef with locked gates. I'm up to Unwaking Waters mission(Luxon) and there is still towns I can't walk out of. Just a couple of minutes ago I was doing a quest out in Gyala Hatchery. I zoned in fro LEviathan pits and saw that the quest was really near to the Gyala Mission so I zoned there. And guess what I can't walk out the front door. The gate is down for me to enter the explorable area for hatchery. Why I ask? I've done all the mission up to a point, I've befriended the luxons. What more do I have to do to be able to just go out and explore how I want to explore? I did spend my luxon faction on Jadite, so I wonder if it was closed because i didn't have any luxon faction on me?

I think lokced gates are great because they stop a lot of things that anet dosen't want happeneing but...I think they need a new system. I think gates should be unlocked after you beat the game once or even twice with the exception of the Palace. You can not sit here and tell me playing the same thing over 3-4-5-6 times is not going to get boring. I liked playin the game through but now could care less about missions, I just want all the new elite skills, and pvp areas that you can't access untill you complete a big portion of the game.

Open up the gates after you have beat the thing once or twice. Keep the palace gate locked untill you play Whirlpool mission. You don't get Amulet of Mists untill you have completed every mission. What do you think?

Good ideas, but what we think doesn't count, obviously. At least in Anet's book.

I was frustrated by the runners, and the resulting incomplete high level characters in later missions, so I'm glad Anet is at least thinking of them. But I'm also frustrated that my Canthans have to pay for skills that should be unlockable with quests, as before.

I also think that the gates are frustrating but it's unlikely that Anet will do anything about it.

Finally, I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but as of now the Canthans running around are generally weaker players. It's not just A/Rit bias.

Maybe it's too easy to level-up on the island.

How many skills did you get from quests in Cantha?

Here's a perfect example of where locked gates annoyed me most: My friend and I were exploring Kinya province for the first time (and no, we don't do stuff like looking at spoilers) and there was this wonderful beacon that showed up on the map: a zone dot. So, we went up to it, excited to see what was beyond and... No dice. Couldn't. Locked.

This was compounded so much more with the quests later (but still before the Cho mission) in Kinya that involved so much more walking to get to compared to Pianjang, which has Tsumei Village.

...And yet, last night, on a sunday night/early monday morning, Maatu Keep, Boreas Seabed, and Arborstone (actually, everything out of the city that I've gotten to so far) were lagging as bad as Drok's D1 on its worst day. Funny how that works.

I don't know what the deal is, but the forest and the jade sea areas are killing my framerate way more than the city did, for some strange reason. I'm not even talking about the expansive areas that obviously take its toll. I'm talking about the cramped Arborstone outpost, the Boreas Seabed mission, etc..

Maybe 12? Same as I got in Pre for running a few training quests. But the remaining skills I've had to buy at the skills trainer.

Right... so there's a dozen free ones, plus skills bought starting at 50g apiece. By the time you get to a plat per, you're fairly well skilled up.

And yes, for that other guy... Maatu Keep was lagging severely last night! However, popping into Dist 2 there was no lag, so keep that in mind.

I talk about GW often at work with other gamers. I’m the only one that plays GW and they ask me why I like playing it so much. I tell them that I love that the game is open and I can choose how I want to play. It’s so fun just to do what you want and not have to follow some linier play…

Before Factions I always made a point of saying how fun GW was to explore. With my first character I gave up questing quite early in the game. Around the time I got to LA I think. I just started to have a blast trying to uncover the map and see if I could find the next town. I have no idea why I found this so fun. It just was. Don’t get me wrong, I did do every quest eventually (except titans), and have three characters that have done every mission in Prophecies.

I have to say I am having less fun with Factions. I just don’t like the story that much. I would go as far to say (IMO) its crap. Poorly told and the Master Togo character just annoys me to death. And now I have to go through all the primary quests with each character suffering through this brutal story.

To the point, I no longer choose the way I play rather I’m told how to play.

I’m not whining or complaining to ANet. This is simply how I feel about Factions so far on this issue. I do love the new armor and weapons. I think the mini pet is awesome (should get mine any day now). And in general think it’s a great game. I just doubt I’ll get more than one character through the Factions story line. It’s just too painful.

Someone pointed out in another thread about buying skills does not spoon feed you down one path / style of play and you can choose where you want to start which would allow more experimentation.

Aka C1 Mage = Fire Mage ..
C2 Mage = What ever you want to go after

It also tends to deny you the slow aquisition of skills and therefore the ability to try them out on low lvl creatures while levelling up. The learning curve on Factions is brutal. After 5-6 hours of play, you are facing lvl 20 mobs and creatures that explode every time one dies. I can only imagine beginning this gam with the "stand alone" Factions expansion. I would be confused, broke, and have no idea what skill I should purchase next.

They made Fire Mage the first skills you get because they were easiest to use and gave a good introduction to the game. They used the same reasoning in starting you out with sword skills, blood skills, healing skills, and a strong domination line. The way they do things now, some poor soul might spend all his points on Smiting skills and spend the whole end-game struggling to build up their healing line :\

I made this calculation. Its based on the information provided by others, so correct me if I'm wrong.

There are 6 missions to complete for opening those gates. From what I understand those missions are long: like 2.5 hours each. The missions are hardly possible to complete with henchmen. With pugs it takes like 3 attemps each to complete a mission.

Given that I play about 2.5 hours a day, this means for me I have to spend 6*3 DAYS to get 1 character pass those gates... 18 DAYS! Even for an experienced level 20 chr from chapter 1. That's WAY too long!

Hearing the arguments PRO I have to add these comments:

-In no way it will stop botting. Farming communities will just spend more time and get pass the gates massively.
-The quality of players who pass the gates wont get better: its just a matter of time, not of skills.
-Because many players want to try one of the new professions, and since its impossible to 'import' existing chapter 1 chr's behind the gates, there will continuasly be a lack of usefull professions for balanced parties in the rest of the game.
-Its no tutorial game: Players want to get to the real action as soon as possible.

To my opion the gates *MUST* be unlocked! Also I whish the team of devellopers in future use their time to create bigger maps rather than find ways to slow down gameplay.