TezPoca.7203

Oof! That's... unbearably good!

You already have developed a very clean comic-style...

you've done your homework on drawing silvary...

...i mean... even the background in the last picture of page 6!

...and don't get me started on your lovely take on fern hound <3

By the many horns of Baelfire! At first i wanted to wish you a long breath,

'cause many people underestimate the marathon of drawing a comic and lose motivation half-way through...

but you already have the roughs of 64 pages? ...GET OUT OF HERE!

Ha, i think you've got yourself one more fan!

"And verily, yay, did the dead return to life. But not true life, for the necro threads would walk among the living, causing havoc and confusion, displacing the living with their undead presence."

...well, it's the thought that counts ;)

You do realize, that you wouldn't be able to see a rainbow, while also looking at the sun(-rays) from this perspective? AHAHAHAHA... Aaaaah... Don't mind me, being a jerk and spliting hairs, when there's obviously a lot of good things you can say about this picture^^

Alone the fact that you worked 3 x 4h on this (for charity on top of that) is respectable. (The last time i worked 6h on a picture my brain melted.)

So, all i can say is: keep it up! :)

just a test

> just another test!

> > just another test!


**Mad Romance**

_"Thorn's Clocktower. It is said, that only the mad feel attracted to this place. Hence the sight of the King and his beloved Queen Malafide at such a wretched place shouldn't come as a surprise."_

Thanks for the patience. I hope it was worth the wait.

So i suppose i'm rather oldschool with a scanned image of my sketchbook, huh. All in all i'm not completely happy on how this ended up, since it was my first time to use markers in addition to the ballpoint pen. But nontheless a new experience and a step out of the comfort zone, so many thanks for hosting this event!

Is there any chance we'll have another one in the future?

> In order to develop an idea of what to draw, i produced a couple of sketches in advance. Just in case someone is interested in those, please click below:

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > And indeed, the Queen Malafide on the bottom right corner might be the derpiest Queen Malafide you might find around here^^

Happy Horrorween!

> @"Daniel Frozenwind.2946" said:

> > @"BadKitty.5426" said:

> > Does this run untill the end of this month?

>

> It does, it ends 1 minute after the 31st of October.

Thanks for clarifying. Even though... i hate to be a nuisance, but about which timezone are we talking? UTC +1?^^

See, i'm running hot finishing my artwork in time and i'd be devastated to find out, that i didn't make it due to some timezone-tohubohu :')

Happy Horrorween!

Your Highness,

Do you already know the exact day on which the contest will end? If i find enough time, i'm hoping to contribute a humble piece to this marvelous cotest. Speaking of, thanks for hosting this event! I'm always eager to find gw-related art in this forum and hopefully this inspires some people.

That being said, congrats to the first contestant. The different expressions on those pumpkins are a lovely detail^^

> @"Randulf.7614" said:

> I've looked forward to Drakkar since launch, yet the story arc and the fight were both underwhelming from my point of view

And we are sitting in the same boat here. I might have played down the role of Drakkar a bit too much in my last post, but what i tried to say is that (for me) cutting down Drakkar's story arc is a bit more forgivable, since he wasn't that deeply rooted in the story of Gw1 (compared to the mursaat for example), even though i as well wished he had gotten a more prominent role. Also considering my hope, that they sacrificed the story arc of the old champion in order to have more resources and time to develop a better story for the aspiring champion: Bangar.

After all in my opinion it's not a question whether the team has the ability to write a good story (to me they have proven they can), but more a question of are they able to deliver it, considering all the other circumstances this game brings with it. I think you put it really well here:

> It's unfortunate that they write what the schedule dictates and not schedule what the story requires.

> @"Randulf.7614" said:

> Let me elaborate more since I wrote that in a hurry;

And elaborate you did! Thanks for the effort. I hope i don't devalue that by not giving an likewise in-depth answer, even though there are points where i would disagree. But can i assume we have some common ground regarding statement, that a major issue with the story is not necessarily bad ideas itself, but rather the rush of things that would have needed more time and detail to really flourish? (And that at some points "rush" might even be an understatement?)

In this regard, i tend to have higher hopes for the recent LS. I mean, we have 5 story steps so far (counting in the prologue and the sorta in-between vision of the past) and yet we are nowhere near the events we saw in the trailer. This ought to be a good sign, no? A short note on Drakkar though, i do only partially agree here. I would hardly call Drakkar an iconic character. In fact, by the time he was mentioned in the preview of the icebrood saga, many people didn't even immediately remember who he was (at least how i perceived it). After all he was barely visible in Gw1 (literally) and his involvement in the story was indirect at best. Back then it was rather the promise of a story thread to unfold in Gw2. Now the fact, that it didn't, while disheartening, is not too harmful for the story as a such (imo). I would rather shift that line of argument onto the Mursaat and therefore Lazarus, like you already mentioned.

I really do enjoy reading your comments, because seem to always try to argue with reason (Sometimes a sight for sore eyes in this madhouse). However this time your statement seems somewhat elusive to me.

> @"Randulf.7614" said:

> Its not the writing itself

What exactly do you mean by "the writing"? The general story itself? Or smaller details, like the way the dialog is written? It might be a misunderstanding, since English is not my mother tongue, but to me this is a rather far-stretching term. If you care to elaborate, i will listen.

> it's the story which feels too much like it gets made up as they go along and retcons old lore on a whim

I would hardly even call myself an amateur writer, but life is change and as we change the story we tell might as well. Especially if it's a bigger project, where people are coming and leaving the company over the course of time. And while such a change in direction can be a bad thing, we shouldn't forget, that it could also turn out well. Take the dragons for example: We went from "we'll just kill 'em off for good" over "is it a good idea to just kill them off?" to "might an alliance with an elder dragon even work, or is Jormag already corrupting my mind?". I for one am quite happy with this twist. I mean... can we agree that just killing them one after another is doomed to get boring after a while? Even that they brought Balthazar into play as brief break from the dragon-hunt was a good decision imo. You can however argue on how well they executed it .

It's the same when it comes to retcons i think. Hardly avoidable for a Lore that is around as long as Gw's and not necessarily a bad thing. For example the stone summit dwarves (mild _**spoiler-alert**_ for Gw EotN and the newest "Forging steel"-strike!). I might not remember correctly since it's been quite a while ago, but for me one of the last meetings with Jalis Ironhammer felt a little something like this:

Jalis: "We dwarfs will now fight the Great Destroyer"

Me: "Yea? Even the Stone Summit guys? Thought those were the bad guys?"

Jalis: "This will be the foretold end of the dwarfen race"

Me: "Sorry to hear that. But why should it be the end of the Stone Summit?

Jalis: "Worry not! It will be a glorious battle!"

Me: "Ok, but what about the Stone Summit dwarfs?"

Jalis: "We will all turn to stone now!"

Me: "Ya? the Stone Summit dwarfs aswell?"

Jalis: "Wooosh!! We're stone now!"

Me: "Epic! But what about those Stone Summits?"

Jalis: "We will now fight the Great Destroyer in one final battle!"

Me: "You already mentioned. but what about the Stone Summits?"

Jalis: "THIS IS OUR DESTINY!"

Me: "BY BALTHAZAR'S BLAZING BALLS! WHAT IS WITH THE STUPID STONE SUMMIT DWARFS??"

It never really made sense for me. But now that we have the Stone-summit dwarfs reappear along the destroyers, we have a hint at why they disappeared along side the "good" dwarfs even though they didn't partake in the great last battle (well, we had hints back then in Gw1, but didn't we intersect exactly those plans?). Now you can argue if this is even a retcon or was planned all along, but can you not with all retcons to some extent?

...and i'm realizing... i'm definitely derailing the topic here... and the post got way longer than anticipated... so let's get back really quick!

> However, that should not in any way impact how you or anyone else feels about it. If you like it, you like it

On this point i totally agree. Don't let other peopls' rant ruin the the fun you have with the story! Even though it can be hard at times. I remember coming to the forums after the release of the first Episode of the Icebrood-Saga. I had kinda mixed feelings, but the immense negative response of the forums sapped every ounce of fun i could ever have felt right out of it^^

Oof... sry for the long post -.-

> @"Drizzt.1796" said:

> > @"Amy of Darkness.5248" said:

> > [...]

> > Also, even if they were bald (which they are not) and those were wigs, with the ability to simulate close shaved hair they would definitely be able to wear stick-on facial hair that looks real.

> > [...]

> Hmm... what if they just wear a wig?

Duuuuude!?^^

> @"Dante.1763" said:

> Saddly..i cant post my favorite characters story, its super dark(and mature) :(

>

> So ill post a simple version: Amana Wildshard(formerly Firehide) is an escaped flame legion female, currently detached from her new warband while being investigated.

>

> if anyones curious, i can give them a full version via whispers or whatever, but it is very dark.

As a matter of fact, i am curious. Considering the their view on female charr, the flame-legion does indeed leave plenty room for dark stories, so i wonder what yours looks like (also you can consider me mature enough^^). The most convenient way would probably be a PM here on the forums.

Peace out. Charr forever.

Haha, that Sylvari's beard is just too magnificent to bear. I love it!

Gj, on the other beards, too. They do fit the respective race quite well.

Ahaha, that's your thread aswell? :')

...well, i'm afraid i can only rinse and repeat what everyone here says: wonderful designs!

Notes on important things, huh? Now that's ambitious^^ ...a good thing, because it'll get you better in less time. It also reminds me that i myself am a rather lazy learner. Anyhow, i'm glad if my comment was of help.

Also thanks for the little insight (the "behind the scenes" if you would call it that, haha), as I'm always curious about those little stories of other artists.

Furthermore i believe we are sitting in the same boat, when it comes to details. I always say "it's the details that make a good game great". Unfortunately i don't know much about Gmod apart from its name (we are talking about Garry's mod, aren't we?). If i had to name a title it probably would be Dark Souls, where a major chunk of the story unfolds in the details. That game was a festival for me! But for me Guild Wars itself definitely has its own moments to shine. For example when i discovered the little camp of two vigil soldiers in the first half of the bjora marches map, talking about norn legends. I mean it was nothing super special, but the devs went trough the effort to voice the dialog, even if the camp was on top of a cliff, off the beaten path and likely to be missed. I was searching for some essence chest, but i found a treasure of a completely different type :')

... but i could ramble on forever, so i'm going to make a cut and repeat it: Great artwork, keep it up and i'm always happy to see more art in the "Community Creations" section :)

Adios

Hey, i remember you ...or better your character... from the screenshot-thread i browsed a couple of week ago. And that alone means you've done a solid job on this picture!

...so constructive criticism, hm... the only thing i'd dare to criticize is, that it feels a bit flat overall. I cannot even say for sure on why that is. It looks to me, that you are so focused on the details, that you neglect some of the more basic stuff. Like, while you make an effort to put realistic lighting and shadows everywhere, you ask to little if that particular shadow/highlight makes sense on that particular spot. For example the shadows/highlight of the face suggest that the lightsource is coming from the front/top, where those on the right upper arm and left hand suggest it's coming from the right. Do you see what i mean?

On the other hand your focus on the details is definitively where your picture shines. I mean, the ornaments on the gun ...wow! or that you can clearly distinguish the different materials of the armor.. or the hair... or even the little bullet casing jumping out of the gun, haha. And also, i think we all agree that when it comes to art, the "basic stuff" (like composition, lighting, proportions) is a huge topic, difficult to master, that comes with a lot of practice. So in that regard: Do keep your good work up! I'd love to see more!

Peace out, Charr forever!

Oh boy, Anet, where have you gotten yourself into this time? :/

I for my part kept my whole weapon set for that reason. I found the turn that you would need the 1st tier in order to upgrade it to the 2nd quite obvious to be honest (i mean doesn't the term _to upgrade_ imply that?)... then again i didn't play the whole last season of LW, where (i now see) they used the exact same term for a slightly different concept (speaking of the dragonsblood weapons). So the Problem is not that this time their wording was misleading (because that's exactly what an _upgrade_ is about), but the one in the last season in LW. And hence people who played it of course believed it would be the same concept... oh boy, i feel you pals!

But this leads to a problem, because if the Support just restores your weapons, people who do it the "supposed" way would be at a disadvantage (because we put in those extra eitrite ingots)... and don't get me wrong. I'm not crying about how unfair this would be, but simply thinking about a reason why the support might not be _allowed_ to do it (i even don't know if the support is allowed to do such things at all?). So maybe it would fairer to give an option to restore your restored boreal weapon (no pun intended) if you pay whatever you salvaged from it (via support or ingame-trade-menu).

Oh, and as a sidenote: if you consider writing a ticket to the support pls, _pls_ be respectful. Even if it takes some time, the guy working on your ticket is the last person who deserves to be ranted on. Yes?

> @"kharmin.7683" said:

> I thought that what was being released now was supposed to be "expansion-like" content? To me, that meant that all of the things that we would expect to see in an expansion would be released over time so that at the end of the LS chapter, we would have that expansion content.

And you are thinking right! The new LS is exactly that... or is supposed to be. If the Icebrood-Saga is matching an expansion contentwise can only be judged once the whole thing is released. Sooooo... what's left to do than to fetch a big cup of warm tea and wait for the release of the next episodes, because right now, what can we really do other than speculate about how things will develop?

Speaking of speculation...

> [...]even the existing expansions have more to do with NcSoft telling them to do it rather than they themselves wanting to.

Now where did you take that information from? Any evidence to support your claim?

> It's odd because on the one hand they don't seem to prioritize the share holders or the customers but what they want themselves and try to convince everybody that this is what they want. It failed with NcSoft as we saw last year [...]

I assume you're hinting at the layoffs? If so, how is that connected to Anet not making expansions?

Anet: "We don't want expansion, we want LW!"

NcSoft: "Ok, as a punishment we cut your company down!" ...that's not how business is done, cub^^

> And it really is just more of the same. I will say I haven't seen these strike missions yet so can't comment on that. I really wonder if it's something that people were really waiting for though.

It is wise of you to not comment on Strikes, if you haven't played them. But is it wise to claim that LS is just more of the same old LW, if you haven't played the one thing (so far) that makes the LS more than a standard LW-episode? Don't get me wrong, asking if Strikes are what people have been waiting or if they really make LS expansionlike are legitimate questions, but that's a whole different cup of tea... and again: We can only judge the Icebroode-Saga fairly, once all episodes are released.

> It's annoying cause they stuck us with LS content for a while because they were secretly working on other projects until NcSoft had enough and told them to cancel those and cut their staff by more than a third. Think of what they could've done with those resources they took away from the game.

While the general statement might be true i can't help myself but smile over the"..._secretly_ working on other projects...". I don't even ask for evidence, because... cub, NcSoft is their publisher. You can be sure they are perfectly aware of what Anet is/was doing.

...and as far as i'm concerned the topic can be closed, since the original question has been answered here(...and multiple times in the past) and there might be a better place to discuss this

-> https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/96377/wp-guild-wars-2s-biggest-problems-as-i-see-them

Bring back from the lava-embeded, smoldering core of a hellish flame-legion-furnace in the deepest maw of their beloved burning citadel...

the fiery... the formidable...the smokin' hot and heart(h)s-warming... the-one-and-only: **_Pyre Gloves_**...

...pls

> They fixed that issue with the Skyscale but left the exact same issue on the beetle. -_-

A-net at its best^^

But it makes sense what you say ... in this case, since i already sent a ticket to the support, i am curious what they will answer.

Anyhow thanks for the reply.

... in which case it might be an idea to consult the support. Thanks for the hint, my friend.

My apologies, if my question has already been answered elsewhere, but i'm new in the forum and could only find old topics on this, regarding the HoT-expansion.

So ... to make it short: I want to earn spirit shards via lvl-ups from EXP in the PoF-areas of the game. My understanding is, that, as long i have open mastery tracks, EXP will go into these instead of lvl-up / spirit shards. Recently i have completed the base mastery tracks of PoF (being Raptor, Springer, Skimmer and Jackal) and i'm finding myself still not being able to generate Spirit shards. Now i wonder why. My assumption is, since there are two more mastery tracks in my journal (Roller beatle and Cristal champion), i have to complete those as well (even if they are locked, because i don't own the respective LW-episodes). Is that correct? Or do i even have to complete the two hidden mastery-tracks (Griffon and Skyscale) to finally be able to turn my EXP in spirit shards? Since all new SA maps are probably going to be PoF-mastery maps, i'd be happy to not see my EXP go to waste.

Thanks for reading. Be proud. Charr forever.