I admit it, this article's title is probably one of the dumbest I've ever come up with, but I'm leaving it there. Besides, it is fairly accurate about my attitute towards Guild Wars 2. It's a sigh of indifference.
I've seen nothing but praise for the game after the media's beta event, which really is more like a demo - something I will touch upon at a later date. And from the publicly available videos, the game does look absolutely fantastic. Everything does appear very fluid and the level of polish makes it appear that the game is ready for launch. So after all this great hype, why am I indifferent about the game?
I have to remember another great game I really liked but was indifferent before I tried it - RIFT. I knew nothing about the game or the developers and the screenshots, as high-res as they were, looked like they were from an asian or free to play game. Turns out I was wrong and enjoyed my beta experience enough to sub for a few months.
That is the exact same feeling with Guild Wars 2. I never played Guild Wars so I don't know anything about the game or the developers. I listen to or watch videos of podcasts and I cannot deny the enthusiasm of those that have played the first Guild Wars but I could not understand it. This will probably all change once I get my hands on the game, whether it be the beta of getting a copy at launch.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
SWTOR: What Would Make Ilum Better?
I'm pretty sure that everyone is so tired of talking about Ilum. But for all the complaints and problems encountered, the zone has a lot of potential. As the game gets more level 50s willing to slug it out, improvements to Ilum will be needed sooner than later.
Tangible Rewards
Better known as "Why are we fighting for this place again?".
No, not talking about pets or gear, but anything that will make a visible impact to the players or gameplay. It doesn't even have to be overpowered either. The valor buff from taking control points is actually a good start and can benefit even small groups against a larger, less organized, horde. Having it also give bonuses to warzones was also a good idea.
There had been talk before of being able to access the rarest of rare materials from the zone based on who controls Ilum and that will be a huge bonus as well. As it stands though, full control cannot be maintained long enough for such a reward to be even useful.
Fleet Announcements/Monitors
One of my biggest frustrations with Ilum is that, when I get there, either nothing is happening or something interesting happened and it is already over. Timing is everything and with good timing/luck, you can get into exciting battles. Conversely, going to Ilum when nothing is happening can be mind-snappingly dull as you play arament carousel with 30 other people.
Being able to see if any action is happening on Ilum will definitely help bring in people. A quick check of a map or pvp monitor can indicate how many of each faction are in Ilum and if there is a fight going on. A fleet-wide chat can also allow players to send out a "call to arms" and notify people that a major battle is happening. But of course, that leads to the next improvement suggestion....
Instant or Faster Travel to Ilum
As it stands, getting to Ilum from the fleet requires the following steps:
A direct shuttle to the Ilum PvP area would do wonders to open up the zone and make PvP there more accessible. Having a system like this will allow fights to escalate quickly and last longer as more people start pouring in.
Granted, there can't always be battles in the zone as there definitely are other things to do, but having these improvements can make those that do happen truly epic...or at least, something positive to talk about.
Tangible Rewards
Better known as "Why are we fighting for this place again?".
No, not talking about pets or gear, but anything that will make a visible impact to the players or gameplay. It doesn't even have to be overpowered either. The valor buff from taking control points is actually a good start and can benefit even small groups against a larger, less organized, horde. Having it also give bonuses to warzones was also a good idea.
There had been talk before of being able to access the rarest of rare materials from the zone based on who controls Ilum and that will be a huge bonus as well. As it stands though, full control cannot be maintained long enough for such a reward to be even useful.
Fleet Announcements/Monitors
One of my biggest frustrations with Ilum is that, when I get there, either nothing is happening or something interesting happened and it is already over. Timing is everything and with good timing/luck, you can get into exciting battles. Conversely, going to Ilum when nothing is happening can be mind-snappingly dull as you play arament carousel with 30 other people.
Being able to see if any action is happening on Ilum will definitely help bring in people. A quick check of a map or pvp monitor can indicate how many of each faction are in Ilum and if there is a fight going on. A fleet-wide chat can also allow players to send out a "call to arms" and notify people that a major battle is happening. But of course, that leads to the next improvement suggestion....
Instant or Faster Travel to Ilum
As it stands, getting to Ilum from the fleet requires the following steps:
- Enter elevator to hangar
- Enter ship
- Fly to Ilum
- Enter orbital station
- Enter elevator in orbital station
- Take shuttle down to Ilum
- Take speeder to PvP zone
A direct shuttle to the Ilum PvP area would do wonders to open up the zone and make PvP there more accessible. Having a system like this will allow fights to escalate quickly and last longer as more people start pouring in.
Granted, there can't always be battles in the zone as there definitely are other things to do, but having these improvements can make those that do happen truly epic...or at least, something positive to talk about.
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