paintpixie.7398

> @"Mortifera.6138" said:

> Anyone else finding it difficult to get into other MMOs after playing Guild Wars 2? I tried to get into ESO, but I like being able to get into PvP right away. Moreover, the lack of grind in GW2 makes me appreciate it over any other MMORPG. I just can't play any other MMO now.

I'm glad that there are enough options out there to satisfy all types of people. I've never felt that way towards GW2. Haven't been able to play it long term since I started. Although I do really like it. I've always had to play it along with another game. My brother got me into it, he loved the original game too. My brother adores this game. He leaves now and then to play others but he ALWAYS comes back to this game. I like it enough to call it a "regular" game I play, but it's not my favorite by a long shot.

I think I'm the opposite of you, where I find it difficult to play other games after ESO. I find GW2 to be VERY grindy in comparison. I also like the housing system in ESO, and I like sprinting, fishing, crafting, the story, the world, everything basically. I have an easier time getting into raids, have an easier time getting geared. I have been playing that game for years now, and I couldn't see myself ever getting sick of it. But my brother just couldn't get into it. (Actually, all three of my brothers couldn't really get into it, but my Dad loves it.)

I read a forum thread, which I think was on the ESO forum actually. It was a comparison of ESO and GW2, and it was really interesting. But I thought the most accurate comment was the one that said that basically; "GW2 is a better MMO, ESO is a better RPG." I think that pretty much said it all for me. If there is one thing that no other MMO I've tried has done that GW2 really excels at, it's the open world meta events. They do that best, in my opinion.

As for a game that changed how I play MMOs, that's gotta be TERA. After TERA, there has been no way for me to get back into games that make you stand in one place to cast skills. I can't do it. Even though I only played that game for a short time.

But to me what's interesting is how different people get different things out of games, and I'm really happy that there's enough choice for people to find the one or two that they are most comfortable with. It's nice having a "regular" game. But it's nice to try something different every now and then, too.

I think this is a good suggestion.

I think the festivals here are nice, and they don't overdo them and run them on a near constant basis like some other MMOs.

I had a blast last night doing festival stuff with my brother, who I don't think had done this festival yet. It's not my favorite festival, but it's optional. So do what you like best. : )

> @"Randulf.7614" said:

> I’d prob remember to use it more as a novelty and it takes up less inventory.

>

> Win/win for me

Yeah, same here. I just throw them in my bank and forget about them. If it were a novelty, at least I would remember to use it.

Very good cover. I like it a lot. Checking out your other videos now, too.

When I started, my main was a norn ranger. I liked using longbow, and I liked norns. I also did like to collect the pets, and come up with names for them, etc. I started losing interest in her around the time HoT came out because I didn't like the new specialization, and I was tired of being huge while trying to do jumping puzzles and stuff like that.

I switched to a sylvari mesmer, and I've had her as my main ever since. I liked her because she had decent dps but could also solo really hard mobs with her clones. I still wish that she could use a bow, because I really like bows, but I still really enjoy playing her.

I did like the Ranger specialization for PoF, but I never really got into my ranger again. I haven't played for over a year now, so I might go back to her, but for now I'm gonna see how I like my mesmer.

That's really very good. Did you make the book yourself, too?

I've done some similar things for characters I've had in other games before, but I've always lost interest over time in favor of playing the game. So it's only ever been a few pages here and there in random sketchbooks. What you've done is very impressive. I wish I had that amount of dedication. Thank you for sharing it.

Vanilla...

Ghosts of Ascalon I loved because it told a lot of the history of Guild Wars. I didn't play the original Guild Wars until a few years ago (and I never got far because I didn't like it very much, actually...). So it was interesting to me for lore purposes. It had some exciting moments, too, and some good characters that drew me in.

Edge of Destiny was my favorite because I like how all of the members of Destiny's Edge played off of each other. I thought it was interesting. And it really sets up the first storyline of GW2 well, I think.

Sea of Sorrows I really have mixed feelings about because the underlying story is good, like I said. But there are some "eyeroll" moments in it too. It does have some good characters, which again, pull me into the world of the game better, and I liked that.

If you are thinking about reading it again, I say go for it. But if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. I think they also have summaries of the books on the wiki you can read if you just want to know what they are about and what happens in them, but you don't want to read through them.

I have, and I liked them a lot. I liked Sea of Sorrows least, but a lot of people liked it best. So if you don't like Ghosts of Ascalon, maybe try reading that one. My main problem with it was the time jumps, but it had a good underlying story, I thought.

> @"fizzypetal.7936" said:

>That hurts us all - albeit in different ways. For the under-represented, claims of any type of discrimination may not be taken as seriously, for others, fear of speaking in public spaces and what that could lead to if their intention is deliberately or unintentionally misunderstood.

>

I agree. That is the problem she has turned this into. And the more she opens her mouth over it, the more I'm glad that she is gone. I'm surprised they didn't have her sign something saying she wouldn't smear their names through the mud on her way out, but she is just proving why the decision was a good one and probably burning future bridges with potential employers.

It's a shame, really. Because she actually did have some real points in what she originally said. I think she is good at what she does. And I don't think she is a nasty person or anything, but I think maybe she was burning out. I've been burnt out before, and I know how rough that can be. And who among us hasn't said something that has gotten us in trouble? So, it's a shame. But I am glad that Anet made the decision they did, especially in light of her behavior after the fact.

I love her too! Very pretty. It's really beautiful.

I love many of the hairstyles in this game, but more would always be wonderful.

The best part of this game is the lore. Hands down, best thing for me.

Graphics come in a close second, but lore and backstory are what make the game more than just a game for me, and make it dearer to my heart.

> @"Zedek.8932" said:

> > @"Deihnyx.6318" said:

> > I'm sorry, I just can't believe that for a second. What happened was serious enough to potentially damage a company and no country that want to keep its companies "there" will forbid them to take action.

> > It's sad really cause recent living story episodes were great but that's how it is now I guess...

>

> Okay, if you can't believe it, here you go:

> I just pick something off the internet to show how it works, with a very similar case in Germany:

>

> A polish guy that works as truck driver in Germany and that has been 14 years with the company has been fired because he posted a picture of the concentration camp Auschwitz and added: "Poland is ready to welcome refugees". He's been seen on other pictures and post that he works as driver for said company and the profession. The employer instantly fired him and the guy removed the posts and apologied but still he's being terminated because of that and the negative publicity it can/could create.

>

> The labour court of Mannheim however nullified the termination. They agreed that it was more satire than harmful but posting it on Facebook is basically available to everyone, and that includes clients of the truck company. However, it was not necessary to fire the driver over it. A disclipinary measure would've been deemed enough and the past 14 years in the company without any problem is a sign for that. The instant and the "regular" (scheduled) termination would've been illegal.

>

> He can still get removed off the company, but just with compensation and just if he agrees.

>

> (In German: https://anwalt-kg.de/newsbeitrag/arbeitsrecht/kuendigung-wegen-facebook-posts-die-gefahren-von-social-media/)

>

> Excelsior.

>

>

I wouldn't want to work for a company that fired me. If they were forced to rehire me, I would find another job as quickly as I could and then quit. I couldn't even imagine the tension. And I wouldn't want to be a business that was forced to keep on employees that I didn't want either. That sounds like hell.

> @"thruine.8510" said:

>

> I am lucky to be born a white man. The way I see the world is more likely to conform to my viewpoint than it will for you if you aren't also a while male. I don't think we need to apologize for that fact. But it doesn't harm us in any way to acknowledge that not every experience people have mirrors our own nor pointless to consider different the world can be for someone not as lucky. I live in a world where white males control most of the business, politics and money in the USA. I don't have to wonder how I'm being judged because I am the standard everyone is judged against (not me personally of course). Take racism. I can't really know what its like which is why so many white males have trouble with it. But I can listen to those who have experienced and model my behavior accordingly. Of course we have to accept that we have a general frame work of behavior. You can't change it strictly on an individual level. We have to attempt to define accept to that race or whatever group we're talking about. And that's not even going into class. And you should do that for each thing that separates us hopefully so that we are all seeing the world the same. I suspect not everyone wants that change. Especially for white males where its common to find resistance to change and risking the power they hold.

>

> Any ways, that my view.

You have no power. You tell yourself that you do, but that you are one of the "nice" powerful people, because it makes you feel good and you personally have character flaws that you want to attribute to everybody as a way of letting yourself off the hook for having them.

> @"Imperadordf.2687" said:

> The weird thing is Jessica Price still haven't removed "Arenanet Narrative Team" from her Twitter bio. I'm calling the conspiracists.

It would be more likely to be a "conspiracy" kind of thing if it were removed immediately.

She probably has more to worry about than what her Twitter says right now. And it is embarrassing, too, for her, I'm sure. Developers weren't always mini e-celebrities, you know? Like others have said, I wish her the best. But I also hope that she does some self reflection and maybe sees what went wrong, too.

> @"Mike O Brien.4613" said:

> Recently two of our employees failed to uphold our standards of communicating with players. Their attacks on the community were unacceptable. As a result, they’re no longer with the company.

>

> I want to be clear that the statements they made do not reflect the views of ArenaNet at all. As a company we always strive to have a collaborative relationship with the Guild Wars community. We value your input. We make this game for you.

>

> Mo

Thank you for standing up for your customers when they were very clearly being mistreated by your employees.

I agree. The story just doesn't draw me anymore, and story is important to me in a video game. It feels like the video game version of a "popcorn movie". Maybe there's a cool scene or two, maybe a joke makes me chuckle, but there's no depth.

I think you made many good points. I would love it if the writers took even some of your suggestions.

> @Malediktus.9250 said:

> > @Cirrion.8951 said:

> > > @Malediktus.9250 said:

> > > Problems the majority of the world does not care about. Anet needs to stop implementing politics in every corner of the game.

> >

> > They didn't. They implemented a heart quest where one of the possible activities is to match up characters romantically. Some of those pairings can be same-gender. That's it. If someone sees this as being political or having some agenda 'rammed down your throat' (funny how they always use that exact phrase...) then the problem is with them, not the game.

> Let me think: helping refugees, helping deserters, mexican colored infusion (aka Anti Trump infusion), a larger quantity (percentage wise) of LGBT NPCs than you can find in real life etc. I fail to see how this is not political. It is a MMO and I just want to kill stuff not help useless NPCs or care about LGBT preferences or stuff like that. And it is not just me who noticed it, I talked to friends about this and they see this too.

Oh come on. This is just getting silly now.

Doesn't anybody remember the Flame/Frost refugees?

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Refugee_Volunteer

Don't complain about politics being brought into things if you're the one bringing it. Just because things are a bit topsy-turvy out there in the real world, doesn't mean that games should steer clear of anything but the most mundane of topics just to give you a soft pillow to land on.

> @Oglaf.1074 said:

> > @paintpixie.7398 said:

> > I think with Charr, there could be some interesting relationships that suit their society.

>

> Definitely. Especially considering that up until relatively recently they were a very sex-segregated race/culture akin to the ancient Greeks (and their fellows, such as the Spartans) who all were notoriously homosexual in both directions simply because men and women lived in pretty much two different worlds, only really coming together because of social obligations.

That's totally the type of thing I had in mind for the Charr when I wrote that. Hehe.

> @cptaylor.2670 said:

> > @thrdeye.1028 said:

> > > @Cirrion.8951 said:

> > > > @thrdeye.1028 said:

> > >

> > > > Nearly everyone is fine with gays simply existing.

> > >

> > > Sadly that is not even close to being true.

> > >

> >

> > Maybe in the Middle East or other backwards regions it's not true, but in Western countries (where GW2 is likely to be played) people who can't accept the existence of gays are uncommon and generally reviled. Even the traditionally gay bashing religious groups have adopted a live and let live approach. They still believe it's a sin, but the sins are between the sinner and God and they just prefer not to have it rammed down their throats.

>

>

> Your existence being tolerated and your differences being accepted are completely different. The point is to get to a place where that difference is a non-issue, and despite the fact that this doesn't pertain to you personally it is still risky. People still stare if you hold hands with someone of the same sex walking down the street or shout kitten out the window as they're driving by. Sure, progress has been made and the chances of being lured into an alley somewhere and beaten to death with a baseball bat have diminished, but it's still a possibility. But I guess we should celebrate the fact that our existence is tolerated and be thankful that some people have the sense to keep their opinions to themselves. It doesn't matter that questioning youth is still exposed to prejudice in smaller doses and develop psychological and emotional trauma forever effecting who they are or will become as an individual in society.

>

> I'm white and black people aren't being lynched or forced to drink from separate water fountains anymore so obviously racism doesn't exist anymore. So glad we're past that too.

You cannot, and will never be able to make all people everywhere accept something that they don't want to/aren't programmed to accept. Trying to force them will cause the exact opposite of what you want to happen. You cannot force people to like you, you cannot force them to be nice to you. The best you can hope for is that they will treat you fairly. That goes beyond sexuality. Somebody may just not "accept you" into their group because you pick your nose. And that's okay. So long as they still treat you fairly.

One thing I would like to see (although I won't hold my breath from a video game story line), is societal implications of different pairings in the different societies.

For instance, it always seems a little shallow to just see characters in, for instance, human society in Tyria to just blanket accept same-sex couples. Humanity is a dying race in Tyria (supposedly...you wouldn't know based on the amount chosen by the playerbase, hehe). But I would bet in a real life situation such as that, where a race was actually "dying out", it would not be as widely accepted. THAT would cause some interest for me. Because people like stories where characters "fight against all odds", etc. etc.

I don't see Sylvari having giving it even one bit of thought. They aren't supposedly gendered beings.

I think with Charr, there could be some interesting relationships that suit their society well, Norn, etc. I think that if they want to explore relationships, they should go all out and write content that fits with said relationships. I think it would just make it more interesting/believable.

I don't like the mindset of "Okay now we're going to fill this and that diversity quota". I think that line of thinking comes from not wanting to step on anybody's toes. And, realistically, no not everybody and their mother needs to be "represented" in a video game. The purpose of stories is to get you to see through somebody else's eyes. To walk a mile in their shoes. Let's face it, sometimes you have to step on toes/offend people to write good stories. And not everybody's going to agree with you about what is "offensive" and that's okay. It's okay to be offended. It helps us to see who we are and what we believe, you know?

I know a large company isn't likely to risk things. They're very careful not to offend anybody because they want peoples' money. But it would be nice to see some more complex story lines in video games, and this one specifically. Does a video game even need complexity? I think it couldn't hurt.

> @Kheldorn.5123 said:

> Meanwhile I like Caithe X Faoline story as it's more of a tragic drama and different life goals that broke them apart.

I really liked the Caithe/Faolain relationship too. Maybe it is because of it being tragic. I'm not sure. There was another story similar to it in one of the Sylvari storylines where a (straight) couple was divided because one of them joined the Nightmare Court. It was similar, and it also pulled my heart strings, but not as much. I love both Caithe and Faolain.

The Logan/Queen Jennah one is annoying. I like the jabs Anise takes at him now and then, though. (But I really hate Logan. There is nothing he could do to redeem himself in my eyes.) I like to think Rytlock left him for Canach and Jennah will end up with Anise.

The Kasmeer/Marjory relationship seemed a bit forced and shallow. They have some interesting elements to their characters. I kinda wish they would play around with the characters more than just "they're lesbians". It does seem forced because of the shallowness of it. I think a lot of media is afraid to dare to make "LGBT" characters with any real flaws. I think that may be one of the reason some of those characters tend to be written with less depth. It's a shame, though, since we're all people and we all have flaws, some of them major.

This thread went downhill fast. Wow.