Locking Game Content Behind ….

[Game of Bones.8975]

How many times have we heard (or said ourselves): “Why do I have to do this Jumping Puzzle, Raid, Fractal, etc. to continue on with crafting a certain piece or armor or a weapon?”

Sure, being able to complete these non-mainstream side stories shows our ability (and want) to go beyond the normal story paths. If you can’t do a simple jumping puzzle do you really deserve that shiny piece of armor?

Why not have the Jumping Puzzles, Raids, and Fractals be the short method to acquiring the goodies but have another way to craft the same items that may take longer or cost more in the long run? Side stories that can’t be purchased with stacks of mats, but must still be completed just the same.

Watch a couple "how it's made" type vids on YouTube and you'll see there is rarely (if ever) only one single way to make something.

[Ayakaru.6583]

Because every type of content needs unique rewards.

Thats true then, now, and will continue to be true, in most, if not nearly all games.

 

And just as often, everytime there’s unique reward for content, people who play other contents will demand access to it.

As someone who can’t seem to get into WvW i don’t have access to the Warcry.

Do I demand that there should be a PvE or PvP method to acquire this shiny? No!

Warcry belongs to WvW, and if anyone wants it, they have to play WvW.

 

I don’t know which shiny you want, but you’re better be preparing yourself for said content, because refusing to play said content will only result in you not getting that shiny.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

For me, if I'm not willing to do the content (and there's plenty of content I don't do), I don't want the 'shiny' that much.

And, conversely, if I want the 'shiny' oh-ever-so-much, I do the content required. /shrug

[zealex.9410]

By that design we could say that farming gold and relics for the fractal titles by doing t2 or t3 fractals is a slower way of getting there than for example t4 fractals.

 

So ppl have choices and everything should be fine right? So then why do ppl still complain that t4s are too hard and that theh should be nerfing them?

 

Another example is when they made farming dungeons skins a thing in pvp. For one it did take away exclusivity from dungeons. Thats w/e theres ppl that care prestige and ppl that dont. But it would at least remove some if not all of the ppl complaining right? That didnt really happen either.

[GrubySzymek.1362]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> Because every type of content needs unique rewards

 

You mean like dungeons were devaluated completely by PvP/WvW reward tracks?

[zealex.9410]

> @"Kheldorn.5123" said:

> > @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> > Because every type of content needs unique rewards

>

> You mean like dungeons were devaluated completely by PvP/WvW reward tracks?

 

Bad choices in the past dont justify bad choices in the present.

[Oglaf.1074]

One word: motivation.

[Umut.5471]

They should add a hardcore crafting method for legendary armors through open world adventure.

Legendary weapons are like that, I can't understand why it can't be same for armors.

[Lunateric.3708]

> @"Umut.5471" said:

> They should add a hardcore crafting method for legendary armors through open world adventure.

> Legendary weapons are like that, I can't understand why it can't be same for armors.

 

Because everything can't be the same for every single item acquisition, it would be extremely boring.

[Palador.2170]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> Because every type of content needs unique rewards.

> Thats true then, now, and will continue to be true, in most, if not nearly all games.

 

I'm not so sure that's true, actually. I think it's better to say that every type of content needs better than normal access to some kind of reward. Something to push you towards doing it, but never leave you with no path other than that one.

 

Let's look at dungeon gear for an example. The best way to get it is to run the dungeons, naturally. But you can also slowly get it in PvP and (I think) WvW. Would anyone really object if they also added in ways to slowly get it in Open World or Fractals?

 

How about mastery points? Would it be bad if they added a track to earn them in PvP? I don't think so, but it would still be faster for most people to do whatever PvE stuff has mastery points attached to it.

 

If there's content that almost nobody will do if not for unique rewards being locked behind it, that's a really good indicator that the content in question needs to be fixed or scrapped.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

@"Game of Bones.8975" said:

> How many times have we heard (or said ourselves): “Why do I have to do this Jumping Puzzle, Raid, Fractal, etc. to continue on with crafting a certain piece or armor or a weapon?”

> Sure, being able to complete these non-mainstream side stories shows our ability (and want) to go beyond the normal story paths. If you can’t do a simple jumping puzzle do you really deserve that shiny piece of armor?

> Why not have the Jumping Puzzles, Raids, and Fractals be the short method to acquiring the goodies but have another way to craft the same items that may take longer or cost more in the long run? Side stories that can’t be purchased with stacks of mats, but must still be completed just the same.

> Watch a couple "how it's made" type vids on YouTube and you'll see there is rarely (if ever) only one single way to make something.

 

In the extreme case, let's say that you could unlock everything in the wardrobe for gold (plus perhaps other methods). Then everything ends up being a question of "how long does it take to grind the gold" versus how long does it take to do things as originally intended. That makes the game _feel_ more grindy to everyone. Plus, it means that there's no longer any specific benefit to doing things outside your comfort zone; everyone would end up doing the stuff they like the most and converting their excess loot to gold.

 

That's why there were so many people who asked that Legendary Weapons we made account bound (as ANet did for the 2nd generation). And it's partly why we have so many local currencies: so that there's a compromise between having to do specific content and not having to do anything specifically.

 

It also creates room for people to ask for or offer help in doing the things necessary to obtain various shinies, which is itself a fun sort of meta-game for many people.

 

tl;dr it's less interesting if everything in the game can be obtained by doing whatever we like; it's better that some things are restricted.

[STIHL.2489]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> Plus, it means that there's no longer any specific benefit to doing things outside your comfort zone; everyone would end up doing the stuff they like the most and converting their excess loot to gold.

 

I am trying to think of how this would be a bad thing.. and coming up with nothing.

[Lord Kreegan.8123]

> @"Kheldorn.5123" said:

> > @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> > Because every type of content needs unique rewards

>

> You mean like dungeons were devaluated completely by PvP/WvW reward tracks?

In contrast, the only reason I do ZergVZerg is because it's a much quicker way to get Hero Points than trying to wade through the crap that is HoT and PoF, even if it is repetitive and boring.

 

[Ayakaru.6583]

> @"Palador.2170" said:

> > @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> > Because every type of content needs unique rewards.

> > Thats true then, now, and will continue to be true, in most, if not nearly all games.

>

> I'm not so sure that's true, actually. I think it's better to say that every type of content needs better than normal access to some kind of reward. Something to push you towards doing it, but never leave you with no path other than that one.

>

> Let's look at dungeon gear for an example. The best way to get it is to run the dungeons, naturally. But you can also slowly get it in PvP and (I think) WvW. Would anyone really object if they also added in ways to slowly get it in Open World or Fractals?

>

> How about mastery points? Would it be bad if they added a track to earn them in PvP? I don't think so, but it would still be faster for most people to do whatever PvE stuff has mastery points attached to it.

>

> If there's content that almost nobody will do if not for unique rewards being locked behind it, that's a really good indicator that the content in question needs to be fixed or scrapped.

 

I think a lot of people will agree when I say that adding dungeon skins to pvp was the final nail in killing the dungeons.

As for mastery points, yes, that would be bad. Why would you have a pvp method to win mastery points.. the one currency that has zero utility in pvp?

I understand getting skill points in wvw because you actually have to build builds there, but you dont earn mastery points in wvw either.

[Dawdler.8521]

Its only WvW thats allowed to have a 10,000+ gold paywall to basic gameplay elements.

 

Sorry to dissapoint with the whole jumping and fractal and so on thing.

 

 

[Laila Lightness.8742]

I think they should mmake a non envoy pve legy amor for fractals and open world like pvp and wvw already have

[lokh.2695]

*points to signature

 

Also, every game mode needs its rewards. If everything is available everywhere ppl will do what is easiest/fastest/cheapest over what they actually like. For example: I don't like JPs that much but I kinda like Dungeons. Let's say I need 500 tokens of a given dungeon for something I want and let's say I can get the tokens either by doing dungeons or by doing certain JPs in the region. Sure I might get more tokens if I run the dungeon, but I get them easier if I just jump the puzzle once and place a few alts at the end chest for daily farming. I won't do the content I like more, because it's harder, I will still get my reward for a minimum amount of effort and no one will be able to tell the difference.

It's not a perfect example, I know. But I hope you get what I mean. By providing multiple ways of obtaining X, one of the ways will prove to be easier/faster/cheaper than the others and ppl will gravitate towards that way regardeless of player preference. On the other hand, no matter which one of the ways wil prove to be the easiest/fastest/cheapest, ppl who prefer the other ways will complain that the easier/faster/cheaper method is not their cup of tea.