SO now I've got to the end of the story and experienced all maps, I preferred HOT

[Verthurnax.2784]

> @Einlanzer.1627 said:

> Don't forget that they're picking up with LW4 pretty quickly, so I assume there will be more metas involved in PoF -style content in the near future.

 

By the time the living world season 4 map will pop out the pof maps will allready be deserted by the majority. They will go with that map and abandon it for the next one, is this really what people want ? I allready finished the story and i don't know what else to do in the maps, probably gonna take the last mount, finish some collections and once i am satisfied gonna go back to what i used and wait for the next filler map with the LW. If i knew they made the expansion maps like the lw3 ones i wouldn't have preorder and regret it, because i hoped they made them like hot ...

[Verthurnax.2784]

> @ugrakarma.9416 said:

> The Bounty Hunter trains is kinda addictive, i doubt it will become dead.... Remeber that ppl still do Orr trains. PoF is like Orr on steroids.

 

The bountie hunters is exactly like the hp trains in hot ...

[DeceiverX.8361]

> @Oglaf.1074 said:

> Big mistake not having metas in them. These maps are a huge leap backwards - they feel just as "dead" as Tyria open world. Dead and static.

>

> Very disappointing, honestly.

>

> > @"Just a flesh wound.3589" said:

> >The Devs have learned from the hate expressed for HoT style meta events and changed to a Living Story map formula.

>

> People don't hate the metas. What they hated was how maps like Tangled Depths were just so confusing and annoying to navigate because of how the minimap isn't up to snuff to clearly tell you which level you are on.

>

> So Anet missed a huge opportunity here: they could've taken what people loved about HoT maps (the metas, the alive-feeling of teh area) and applied it to a less complex map. That would've been win-win.

 

People hate when all of the map progress hinges on a difficult meta which depends on an organized, large group to complete. You can't solo TD or even do it with a smaller group like you can with other major fights like Dwayna.

 

People also hate how the loot is powercreeped into new maps which forces people out of the old ones. If you make the new maps have big meta-events which subsequently reward more loot due to their size/complexity, which can easily be zerged down, the other maps are similarly killed off because of a lack of incentive to play them at all.

 

Had they just released more maps like Orr but with better scaling from the getgo/in HoT and continued to do so, I don't think we'd have this problem. People would just be playing in the maps they want to play in.

[Mitch.4781]

> @Bloodtau.4672 said:

> I get it, people have come in with nostalgia goggles due to Elona being in GW1, but the maps are just so, empty.

> I have a feeling that give it a week or so, the maps will be properly dead, like Southsun dead. HOT maps have the metas to bring people back, POF ones have nothing (except bounties but those are barely cutting edge content)

> it's a shame really because all the maps are just so pretty!

 

Southsun..exactly. That is EXACTLY what they feel like.

[FrizzFreston.5290]

I think they meta trained the playerbase so much that people cant find anything to do.

 

And here I am... not being able to easily continue because of the huge amount of events and hidden puzzles and mini dungeons.

 

I feel like people are rushing through the zone with their blindfolds still on being distracted by the voices in their heads so that they fail to properly explore these maps.

 

Ill have to admit... I feel like the first playthrough is amazing, and then when you have all achievements and masteries... The experience becomes alot less. They really should look into replayable achievements and masteries.

 

Everything being accountwide is not a pro in this case.

[STIHL.2489]

since most casuals are around 6 months to a year behind the content locust, I am sure the PoF maps will be fine for the long run.

[Endless Soul.5178]

I just LOVE doom and gloom threads. :)

[flyingfox.6150]

I was just saying that now that I'm in Riverlands. Some guys on map chat were going to argue with me when I said the feel is so much less busy and much more quiet than core launch and HoT launch. Those who say you prefer all the exploring and story, soak in the views, blah, blah. I promise you, you won't be saying the same once you've completed the maps.

 

Metas are great, it always has the strength to make people work together, tags on several lanes with different objectives to achieve a common end goal. All HoT maps (yes, even TD) handled metas perfectly. I'm going to sorely miss metas if they don't patch them in PoF.

[Skuzz.6580]

Everyone their preference, I prefer these maps.

As someone already mentioned, the last 2 maps have META events.

I much prefer the PoF Bounty system over the 'only' META system from HoT

 

[Vladish.3940]

> @welns.3245 said:

> The last 2 maps desolation and vabi has metas.

 

Good to know. I haven't gotten there yet, just started in the third map, thus my experiences were based on these. I am glad to know there is at least something to look forward to. Thank you ^^

[Killerbot.8645]

I see so many people whining ''muhhhhh no meta events durrrr'' even though there are still so many group events and group metas in the PoF maps, you're just not looking hard enough.

 

grinding HoT metas over and over was and is extremely boring, there was pretty much nothing to do in HoT that wasn't part of some stupid map-wide meta, I'm just glad both sides got stuff this expansion.

[STIHL.2489]

Meta's kinda sucked, Dynamic Events and World Bosses style stuff are were the fun is at.. long drawn out chain events.. yah.. pass on that.

[DorDor.8617]

Coming from someone who's been grinding in Draconis Mons for months now, I can't help but disagree with this. As long as the rewards are good, there'll always be an incentive to come back. And the rewards in PoF do seem like they'll have some staying power. Lots of unique materials you can't get outside the Desert, a bunch of roided up champ trains and yet another means to get lower-tier crafting mats without having to grind in core Tyria? That should be enough to keep some people coming back, and the megaserver system can take it from there.

 

Meta events were fun and all, but after HoT, I think I've had my fill for a while. A less structured, more casual grindfest seems like just the thing I've been looking for.

[Shoyoko.7309]

I haven't explored all of pof content yet, it's only been a few days so I believe right now it is too quick to assume whether pof maps is good or not.

 

However, judging from what I have played already, it's definitely different from HoT and main gw2 and that's a good thing.

I think it's amazing that we now have another set of maps with different sets of rules and activities than the last two. It keeps the players on their toes, increases the replayability of gw2 and makes the game more dynamic and interesting.

 

I have played so many mmos and before gw2, I could never fully max out a character because I got too bored. For most mmos, I already got used to the predictable mmo mechanics of quest, kill, exp, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, level up repeat.

Gw2 is nothing like that, you get to lvl 80 (hardly a grind) and then you have this wealth of end game content, i love it that anet continues to focus to expand the diversity of end content like PoF. So what if we don't have more timed meta event like HoT, we now have treasure hunting, bounty killing and puzzle dungeons too! =D

[Chrono.6928]

Umm the new maps are amazing and this is probably the best mmo expansion I've ever seen.

 

Suggestion you like hot maps and the replay value of the metas go back and play HoT more lol.

 

I'm thinking one reason the beginning maps might feel empty is everyone is going through their story on their main. Once they go back on Alts and or map complete it should get busier again.

[Rennie.6750]

> @Chrono.6928 said:

> Umm the new maps are amazing and this is probably the best mmo expansion I've ever seen.

>

> Suggestion you like hot maps and the replay value of the metas go back and play HoT more lol.

>

> I'm thinking one reason the beginning maps might feel empty is everyone is going through their story on their main. Once they go back on Alts and or map complete it should get busier again.

 

Maps are much larger and people do what they like instead of being railroaded to nearly mandatory events to access locked parts of the map, that's why you see less players. Not that I'm complaining, I prefer it that way. I don't need to see my screen cluttered with other player's effects when fighting stuff, and I certainly don't care about not seeing some other dude's pink bunny and silly Halloween costume.

[Ahlen.7591]

> @Terrahero.9358 said:

> Two weeks into HoT and both events and meta events were failing left, right, and centre due to how few people showed up to participate.

>

> I only went back to HoT maps to do the hero challenges on various characters to have enough skillpoints for when PoF launched. When HoT was still fresh i did it to get the stuff i needed for collections, but whether they put that behind a meta event or regular events i couldn't have given two damns.

>

> At least when you crash during a regular event it doesnt invalidate an hour of your time for zero progress made. I'll never forget spending more than an hour in Dragons Stand and DCing with Mord at ~15%. Unable to get back into the map i was in. If anything that kind of crap turned me away from revisiting maps. HoT had a ton of stability issues, especially early on.

>

> What draws people to maps is profit or progress. So long as they are getting something out of it they'll return to it. Never forget the Frostgorge Champ Train. People ran the same map for hours killing champs, and these maps were full, just because it was a profitable thing to do or gave them a chance at new skins that recently released. No meta event required.

> Quite a few maps had groups of people running around doing events and champs, events because they typically spawned more champs. Even starter areas like Queensdale. A big reason you don't see that anymore is simply because anet nerfed the ever living bejeezes out the rewards.

>

> Meta events are not required, rewards are. People go where they feel their time is best rewarded.

 

You and I had extreme different experiences apparently. Two weeks in and all metas were full and being beaten left and right (With the exception of Gerent)

[ibThuggin.1758]

> @Bloodtau.4672 said:

> I get it, people have come in with nostalgia goggles due to Elona being in GW1, but the maps are just so, empty.

> I have a feeling that give it a week or so, the maps will be properly dead, like Southsun dead. HOT maps have the metas to bring people back, POF ones have nothing (except bounties but those are barely cutting edge content)

> it's a shame really because all the maps are just so pretty!

 

Honestly the maps in CD are so much better designed and make use of the map space more efficiently then what the HoT maps had. I'm sure they'll probably add more stuff to these zones since many ppl are fond of the CD since GW1. I don't miss having to do go halfway across a map in HoT to get into a tunnel to find a mastery point. It was annoying and frustrating and it wasn't fun at all. I'm having a blast in PoF, I've completed the first two maps so far and almost halfway into the 3rd. I've only completed the first map in HoT after what 2 years? It's a little less content in this one then the previous one but I'm having twice the amount of fun in PvE.

[Perisemiotics.4579]

> @Vladish.3940 said:

> [...]a map badly designed like Tangled Depths (by popular opinion which I share)[...]

 

Please, drop this nonsense already.

The complexity and challenges of TD make it the most unique, interesting, intriguing map in the whole game. The one argument that can be made against it is the mini-map not exactly showing you the contrast between the levels but even that can be answered to as such not being the role of the mini-map - it is for _you_ to figure out where you came from and where you're going, and how you intend to do so. You can bring up the full map anytime or you can toggle the UI off if that's what you need to _see_ better what's around - above and below - you; the mini-map is nothing but an add-on, really.

For instance, Quantum Mechanics is a theory with a fair share of complexity, subtlety and a profound - not to say _intractable_ - conceptual perspective - does that make it a "badly designed theory"? and so the intricate logic and minute thematic unity of Tangled Depths, if nothing else, make it the map with the _best_ design in this game hands-down.

 

I'm weary of hearing TD being picked out as the cliché it's most furthest from - the actual reason you say it's a "bad design" comes from your personal, subjective, emotive experience alone; the "popular opinion" (which you share) is, yet again, a vague and non-objective notion easily clung to because... the map is a stark challenge to memory, patience, spatial orientation, perseverance, planning... among other requisites - clearly more so than any other map in the game.

 

Whether you or I _personally_ hate or love TD - is not a measure to how intelligibly different and thoroughly engaging the gameplay is there, which speaks to a sensible project and successful execution: that is a moot point, not a discussion.

[Firebaall.5127]

Hot style meta events > crappy champ train bounties

 

Seriously, this was a mistake. A couple weeks in, and everybody will be sick of the Frostgorge 2.0 champ train.

[Vladish.3940]

> @Perisemiotics.4579 said:

> > @Vladish.3940 said:

> > [...]a map badly designed like Tangled Depths (by popular opinion which I share)[...]

>

> Please, drop this nonsense already.

> The complexity and challenges of TD make it the most unique, interesting, intriguing map in the whole game. The one argument that can be made against it is the mini-map not exactly showing you the contrast between the levels but even that can be answered to as such not being the role of the mini-map - it is for _you_ to figure out where you came from and where you're going, and how you intend to do so. You can bring up the full map anytime or you can toggle the UI off if that's what you need to _see_ better what's around - above and below - you; the mini-map is nothing but an add-on, really.

> For instance, Quantum Mechanics is a theory with a fair share of complexity, subtlety and a profound - not to say _intractable_ - conceptual perspective - does that make it a "badly designed theory"? and so the intricate logic and minute thematic unity of Tangled Depths, if nothing else, make it the map with the _best_ design in this game hands-down.

>

> I'm weary of hearing TD being picked out as the cliché it's most furthest from - the actual reason you say it's a "bad design" comes from your personal, subjective, emotive experience alone; the "popular opinion" (which you share) is, yet again, a vague and non-objective notion easily clung to because... the map is a stark challenge to memory, patience, spatial orientation, perseverance, planning... among other requisites - clearly more so than any other map in the game.

>

> Whether you or I _personally_ hate or love TD - is not a measure to how intelligibly different and thoroughly engaging the gameplay is there, which speaks to a sensible project and successful execution: that is a moot point, not a discussion.

 

In all honesty, you are one of very few people I have seen thus far that seem to have actually enjoyed the TD. Pretty much comments I have seen were ones that would dislike and criticize it (PERSONAL opinion that I share). I agree the term of "popular opinion" was badly used by me, but it was influenced by the amount of negative vs. positive feedback about the map on these forums and reddit.

 

It is funny though how you try to pick off a single comment out of entire statement though. Care to comment on like, actual content of the post or do you just enjoy nitpicking and trying to be a smartass to people? Aside from attempted trolling, I don't really see actual contribution to the thread itself.