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Will I be left behind?
HorrorScope
Member UncommonPosts: 599
I was able to participate in one beta event, the one right before BWE 1.
The game was pretty good, but to me it felt quite a bit more work was needed. (Even more then Aug 28)
I got busy with another game and will be in it for several more months most likely, then TL2, Borderland 2 will be there competing as well. Both games I look forward to as well.
Since this game touts tons of Dynamic Quests, my concern is when I do pick it up many months after release, do you think I will really get a true feeling of those dynamics or will many not trigger due to low level populations? Do you think I would be more inclined to see trash mobs and heart quests or perhaps very low level dynamics? That was the War Hammer issue and possibly the bane to Dynamic Events.
Anyone see that as a possible issue? I really don't like being pushed into things I'm not ready for. But it does seem that if there is a game to get in early on, it would be this one due to its design.
Comments
i think the opposite. this game is designed to be picked up and played at any time. it's also not designed to keep people playing indefinately. you can stop or start at any time. there is no race. if you start playing a few months after launch you will be on equal footing (more or less) as someone who played everyday since launch. it's casual.
I don't think events trigger based on population.
Anet said they would be adding and remving events from areas, so that might be enough to keep lower level areas populated.
Additionally Anet already has in place extensive NPCs that fight and patrol, big experience in GW with AI henchmen and heroes and at one point GW2 was supposed to have a companion AI.
I don't think we will experiece ghost areas in GW2 for a forseable future, but if/when it happens, I would expect Anet to help players with AI NPCs.
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
No way, when you back track to lower level areas it take your level down to match it.
There will always be people around your level doing the same events, if not new or newish players, the higher level ones will still go back to do events or hit things they missed.
Youll be fine.
Sure I could give you some reassuring words, that everything will be OK but this is simply one of those "we'll see when we get there" kind of deals.
I highly doubt it. Because of the nature of this game, people will likely run multiple alts. Not to mention its B2P, many will come and go. Regarding DEs, they can be activated and it scales based on participants, which means you can easily solo them alongside NPCs. However, if you find yourself on a low pop server, there are two options. Transfer or join a guild.
Well no one can say for sure how it will look several months down the road, but GW2 actually has some emchanics in place to keep the lower level zones attractive/busy.
First and most obvious is the level scaling. If soemone skipped the zones on their levelling route they might go there later on, just to get it for the zone completion/achievements/skillpoints/etc.
Second is the fact ANet said that the live team will switch the event around every now and then, removing some and adding others. People will want to check them out and will do trips to lowbie zones when that happens.
Third - people will make alts. They always do, and while it's something that could be used in every MMO out there, the fact is core GW2 mechanics don't really disocurage it. Since there is no forced grouping and the world PvE is built co-op principles it will be less of a lone rush. LEvelling an alt will also contribute to guild ifnluence just as playing main so no downsides on that part either.
Fourth - people will miss events. The game is made in such way that you aren't really supposed to experience them in one go. Eventulally they will go adventuring looking for things they missed.
If all that works, the lowbie zones won't be completley empty several months later. The question is will it work out as intended.
Leave it for a few months and with any luck you'll have 7 or 8 million new folks to play with ....
The DE's scale to the number of people, so that shouldn't be a problem. Also, because there are 5 races each with their own starting areas, there will be a lot of altaholics in this game. I do not forsee any "empty" zones for quite a while unless you get on a server which was low to begin with.
There's a few things in place that prevent the feeling of "Everyone is high level and I have to solo to the cap"
Most important is the level scaling. People will be scaled down for content so they can go do stuff in lower level areas and still get things from it, even level appropriate gear for them. As such, people won't outgrow areas and never come back to them.
No gear grind = Alt friendly. People won't feel like they have to keep "building their main" by grinding pvp/pve tokens/raids etc to advance at the level cap. They can still do that for fun cosmetic stuff but that's just for fun rather than a statistical character improvement. As such, you're going to see a lot more alts than you're used to, particularly since people can roll a new class and start pvping with it right away.
B2P. People will be in and out for a long time. No sub means people will drift out and then come back to play again.
For PVE, you can even switch servers for free I believe, though it's not a real switch if it turns out some server is more crowded with people you can just go play on that one and do your pve stuff that way. I think it's just WvW where you have to officially pay and do a real character transfer if you want to team with a new server.
This is kind of an interesting point. The lower level areas are not as obsolete as they are in games like WoW due to downscaling, but I'm not certain if that will be enough to make higher level players visit them. I think it will be more secure for ANet to stick stuff like title grinds and what not in various areas. Dungeons already kinda do that.
On the other hand, you can solo the beginning areas, at least. Sometimes it's a bit awkward, it feels much more fluid with two players, but generally it's OK to solo. Considering downscaling, it's not out of the question to find a guild to play with you.
While i do expect GW2 to suffer the traditional pop drop after the first months, you probably won't have too much of a problem OP. Many events do requie a group, specially meta ones, but many also scale to 1 player. Also:
1- Player scaling: It's like a meantoring system, expect it's automatic so you drop to the level of the are you're in. This means you and other players can go to any area at max level and participate in events there. So, if you find or call others, they can come and play with you.
2- Like i said, low pop will probably hit GW2, but another good thing it as is guesting. Not 100% sure how it works, but from what i've read, you can go to another server and do pve content there (no wvwvw of course). So, when most servers hit medium, everybody cans tart gathering in specific servers to hit max pop, making it alot easier to find other players to have fun with.
You'll be ok OP.
I really doubt you would end up feeling left behind. There is so much to do seemingly in all the areas, and Anet has said that they will be adding and removing DE's etc. all the time so I think even the starter areas will seem appealing to those who are higher levels. Especially as people are running through with friends, guildmates, alts, etc. I bet the starter areas will still be fairly well populated.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
As much as people say "no", looking at the level layout of the game you may very well be. The events don't scale to be soloable. And with lesser reward, there is no reason for a high level player to stay in one zone, when they can just as easily move on and get better rewards / see new content.
Wrong ! Your level scales down, and at the same time the rewards, cash and drops scale up to your real level.
Jimmy, I would stick with breakfast products if I was you.
Couldn't resist.
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Thanks, you guys for the most part feel pretty confident in it. I got busy with DDO again and I'm sorry but I love that game, it just clicks with me, small group rpg'ing WITH A REAL CHALLENGE!
I can tell you I have/had Anet at the highest regards with GW1, thee most flawless debut I've witnessed still. I'm not one afraid of instances and understand the good things they can bring to gaming (see DDO, all little DnD modules), so I wasn't one parading that GW 2 had to have open world. How much I loved GW1 and am now somewhat hesitant with GW2 and the many who say they hated GW1 but love GW2. I'm sorry, but that is a very abnormal thing happening. To me it was the pure hatred that many have for instances. I'm from the planet that mixing both open world and great interactive instances is the way to go. That said, I was still happy to see Anets take on an open world, which seems as if Dynamic Events were the corner stone to theirs, the instances I played in beta were mere pimples on the ass vs GW1's instances, some of the best still ever made.
My history with Dynamic Events were Warhammer, came in late, no one around to run them or do them properly. Or Rift, which seemed to me like the same thing over and over 100 yards over there. So yeah I'm still waiting for the first MMO to do Dynamic Events right, this seems to be the best effort I grant you, yet.
I haven't dove into GW2 yet because I never got that polished feeling that I felt with GW 1's beta.I don't play favs and wait for the game to prove itself. I can curb hype and all of that... age and been there done that 1000 times SHOULD do that to you.
That said I still totally look forward to playing it and when I do start up it and that will be with 4 friends. I just hope their Dynamic Event system will trigger properly if we are alone to give us that same feeling many will get in the first couple of weeks. GW2 bet the whole farm on these, I hope it's all that and then some.
actually I believe the high population at release might actually ruin the starter area. Making the dynamic quest boring and not feeling dynamic at all. It's one of the game it might be better to jump in a few weeks later when the dust has settled. Not that I am going to.
Wrong forum. I think you mean to post this on the WoW boards.
I can also see that. In beta it was a mad-house, so yep I can see the first couple weeks being nutz, then finding a nice mix thereafter. And then after that???
They have improved quite a bit. The game still has areas that need work, and it still feels like the same game as it did in BWE#1, but it has been improved quite a bit.
It could be a possible issue. It really depends on how much later you plan on picking up this game. A lot of people are going to be playing this game at their own pace, picking it up when they feel like it, and taking a lot of breaks. It's not a game that is really based around power-gaming, so you won't be missing much there.
As for dynamic events, different ones trigger differently. Some are population based, and if you are going to a low populated area, you may have that problem with certain events. However, there are a lot that don't trigger based on population.
They all scale with population, though. So approaching an event solo, will generally feel less epic than when you have friends around and the stakes grow much higher. There are most definitely exceptions to this, though.
Nobody knows this for sure. It's possible that the game will keep on growing and that there won't be a need to change anything. On the other hand it's also possible that they'll tweak the numbers a bit to keep things enjoyable for the players. Things should already be in place to take care of these possibilities.
Right, but why would you repeat the same event over and over again, when you can move on to new content more suitable for your level?
Right, but why would you repeat the same event over and over again, when you can move on to new content more suitable for your level?
Well obviously you wouldn't do it 'just because'. I certainly wouldn't. However, if someone asked for help, it removes one of the main reasons for not helping out newbies.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
The content is set up like a pyramid. At the bottom, there are the starting zones for each race. That is 5 zones that take you to level 15. That leaves 4 zones of fresh content to do when you are 80 (or any level in between 15 and 80). And when you do the content, you will be leveled down appropriatly and enjoy level 80 rewards.
They do this to specifically combat what the original poster is talking about and to allow players the most options possible no matter what level range they are ready for.
I have had some similar worries but I think it won't be that bad for two reasons:
1) even high levels will come and play in lower areas for numerous reason and be scaled down.
2) the classes are very even and MANY people want to play multiple classes, therefore there will be alot of repalying and the nature of the content makes replaying fairly enjoyable.
I can't guarantee it, but I think that the sort of "left" behind things that happens in aging content will be mitigated. I would say highly mitigated. But we will just have to see. Its hard to predict.