Please do not use this chapter as a precedent to sell the portal after the story

[yann.1946]

Personally I agree that this particular item is better of when it can be bought earlier.

 

I really love the fact that the vendors don't sell specific things till you do storysteps etc.

[derd.6413]

i think it's for the best that you have to finish the story rather then do enough to get in the map, port all your characters in and ignore the story from then on

[Fueki.4753]

> @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion.

How is it inconvenient in any way?

You start the story, go to Black Citadel and then take the Chopper.

You do the "Episode" intro and you are there.

 

Skipping the story of a map that revolves almost exclusively around said story sounds significantly more inconveniently to me.

 

[mindcircus.1506]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"Blocki.4931" said:

> > I don't see the issue. Why would you want to run around a new map with different characters anyway? In that case just do the first instance, takes you 2 minutes and you're in.

>

> Because I am an altoholic. That would mean running every character around and I currently have 15 or so. Now multiply that by every episode and some will have longer times. I have a life, I am not about to do the same thing in a game 15 times every few months because of bad design. Not that this one was just 'two minutes' ... did you time it? The biggest thing though is portals are free once you have it and teleports cost.

 

I have 20 alts and a full time job. They all see regular play.

It's a non-issue you are conflating.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion. Some players don’t care about the story so it may take days to weeks to complete it. Meanwhile, these players may want to just explore the map on their characters. Work-arounds to get to the map before completing the story are inconvenient, too (and more than an inconvenience for players with a lot of characters and few TtF’s). Locking tomes behind story completion seems like a pointless design. It doesn’t hurt anyone if it’s not locked behind story completion, but current set up clearly negatively affects some players.

 

Exactly! It also messes things up if you can not complete it for some reason. For example, I have epilepsy. So my block to getting the latest mount was not gathering the mats, it was all the vertigo and flashes I knew were at the end of the story. So I got to the point where I would need to scale up the wing and just stopped. Yes, it meant I did not get the latest shiny but consider my health more important than that. The same could (and probably will) happen in another chapter. Given that anet likes making maps seperate from each other the portal is pretty needed to do something on the map with another character. Usually that is another class, but different races make for a different experience too at times.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Fueki.4753" said:

> > @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> > Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion.

> How is it inconvenient in any way?

> You start the story, go to Black Citadel and then take the Chopper.

> You do the "Episode" intro and you are there.

>

> Skipping the story of a map that revolves almost exclusively around said story sounds significantly more inconveniently to me.

>

 

For this time but do you remember the intro for the last story in S3? There are some whole chapters that were shorter than that intro.

[Udolpho.1209]

It's not _that_ big of a deal... but... I _can't_ play through the stories. At least, not all of them.

 

The problem is my computer. I need a new one, and I'm currently in the process of saving money to get it. **Not Anet's problem! Just my problem.** (I can't stress that enough)

 

I have no issues with the core storylines. Giant event/zerg with a zillion players, no problems. Bound By Blood's Coming Home I had zero issues with. But the story instances since HOT... they've gone in the direction of making some of them very, very long and complex, and those ones my computer can't handle, even on low settings. I miss the times when the story instances were more chopped up and gave you one specific task/goal and then ended. From a time standpoint, it was nicer too... now sometimes you've got to ask if you have a big chunk of free time to do it in.

 

I haven't tried the rest of Bound by Blood yet; maybe it won't be an issue. Obviously, I can play through the first episode, use a teleport to friend, and use waypoints. I was initially irritated by Dragonfall when you had to unlock the vendors that sold the portal scroll -- but it did make me play through the zone, so I ended up not minding it and having a good time. I'd prefer that method to this one.

[Ben K.6238]

This is not a concern worth addressing.

[Fueki.4753]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> For this time but do you remember the intro for the last story in S3? There are some whole chapters that were shorter than that intro.

 

That Shining Blade stuff generally was uncalled for, in my opinion.

It lead to nothing but lore for a new (at that time) legendary.

It's also a lore-stain on the Shining Blade organization.

[Tuna Bandit.3786]

Although I don't have any problem with it myself, I do understand the sentiments of some people here that have issues with the more flashy parts of storylines.

At times I - with no issues normally - found them too strong as well.

 

I see no harm in allowing the portal scroll to be obtained before completing the chapter.

 

@"Menadena.7482" Just a thought: Would it work for you, to do those hard stories in party with someone else running the instance? Hate to see you unable to obtain things like the Skyscale due to that issue. The part on the wing you have such issue with, would be do-able by just coming along and look away while others finish it.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Tuna Bandit.3786" said:

> Although I don't have any problem with it myself, I do understand the sentiments of some people here that have issues with the more flashy parts of storylines.

> At times I - with no issues normally - found them too strong as well.

>

> I see no harm in allowing the portal scroll to be obtained before completing the chapter.

>

> @"Menadena.7482" Just a thought: Would it work for you, to do those hard stories in party with someone else running the instance? Hate to see you unable to obtain things like the Skyscale due to that issue. The part on the wing you have such issue with, would be do-able by just coming along and look away while others finish it.

 

Thanks, I just decided it was better not to go for the skyscale and end the story at that point rather than run into something else later (since so much was unknown about the quest in the first few days). That does bring up a question, since it was not an instance wouldn't I have to do that part too though?

[Hellcop.4981]

In Dragonfall we had to complete events to unlock the portal scroll, now we have to finish the story. So when we hit the last map in the saga will it be collect 250 currency on all previous maps to get the portal scroll? Guess I should start saving now so I'm not kittened later.

[Obtena.7952]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> > Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion. Some players don’t care about the story so it may take days to weeks to complete it. Meanwhile, these players may want to just explore the map on their characters. Work-arounds to get to the map before completing the story are inconvenient, too (and more than an inconvenience for players with a lot of characters and few TtF’s). Locking tomes behind story completion seems like a pointless design. It doesn’t hurt anyone if it’s not locked behind story completion, but current set up clearly negatively affects some players.

>

> Exactly! It also messes things up if you can not complete it for some reason. For example, I have epilepsy. So my block to getting the latest mount was not gathering the mats, it was all the vertigo and flashes I knew were at the end of the story. So I got to the point where I would need to scale up the wing and just stopped. Yes, it meant I did not get the latest shiny but consider my health more important than that. The same could (and probably will) happen in another chapter. Given that anet likes making maps seperate from each other the portal is pretty needed to do something on the map with another character. Usually that is another class, but different races make for a different experience too at times.

 

In convenience isn't a problem.

[Greg.7086]

> @"Kameko.8314" said:

> You say you are an "altoholic" x15 but can't bother doing the story once before filtering the other 14 in because you "have a life" . I'm sorry but if you are an altoholic... you don't have a life. If you have a life, you don't need to run the map 15 times before doing the story once. Just imo.

>

> I have 30+ chars too and I say hell, I just do the story. Filter 29 in later. What are those other 29 going to do my 1 can't ? Map clear? Ummm, the stories are never really THAT long. And the time to story clear is probably that of doing 2-3 map comps . I feel its a self time management thing. There is no need to RUSH through the map 14x more .

>

> Again my 2 cents but this is a fuss over nothing

 

^^ Totally agree.

 

Personally I don't have much spare time to play at the moment, due to irl commitments but I did the story over 2 nights only ( and I am really not a fan of soloing storylines: I don't play MMO's for solo gameplay, else I would simply play off-line games) : But it was the fastest, simplest, easiest, no challenge of a story I think I have done, I got to the end and was like well was that it ?

 

I cannot understand why you are complaining about such a small, short easy storyline that you only have to complete on one character to get the tome, and seriously what is the rush to port 15 alts into the zone ? You've all the time in the world to do this, and you can only play one character at a time anyway.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Obtena.7952" said:

> > @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > > @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> > > Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion. Some players don’t care about the story so it may take days to weeks to complete it. Meanwhile, these players may want to just explore the map on their characters. Work-arounds to get to the map before completing the story are inconvenient, too (and more than an inconvenience for players with a lot of characters and few TtF’s). Locking tomes behind story completion seems like a pointless design. It doesn’t hurt anyone if it’s not locked behind story completion, but current set up clearly negatively affects some players.

> >

> > Exactly! It also messes things up if you can not complete it for some reason. For example, I have epilepsy. So my block to getting the latest mount was not gathering the mats, it was all the vertigo and flashes I knew were at the end of the story. So I got to the point where I would need to scale up the wing and just stopped. Yes, it meant I did not get the latest shiny but consider my health more important than that. The same could (and probably will) happen in another chapter. Given that anet likes making maps seperate from each other the portal is pretty needed to do something on the map with another character. Usually that is another class, but different races make for a different experience too at times.

>

> In convenience isn't a problem.

 

Excuse me? Did you just refer to a seizure, which sends me to a hospital, as an 'inconvenience'?

 

I know my limits and take them into account. I would just ask that the game not put something I see as pretty basic BEYOND those limits when in the past they have not been.

[perilisk.1874]

There isn't much to the first story instance, though -- walk and listen. You can do most of it on autopilot while you're doing something else. The little fight at the end is trivial and no more flashy than the map itself.

[Tukaram.8256]

How is a portal really much different than just jumping on the helicopter? I only took 2 characters over there so far. Both completed the story, and the strike mission. I still do not have enough to buy the portal scroll... and not sure if I would buy it anyway.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"perilisk.1874" said:

> There isn't much to the first story instance, though -- walk and listen. You can do most of it on autopilot while you're doing something else. The little fight at the end is trivial and no more flashy than the map itself.

 

I agree THIS one was easy but I am concerned about the precedent. There have been some intros that were not short at all.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Tukaram.8256" said:

> How is a portal really much different than just jumping on the helicopter? I only took 2 characters over there so far. Both completed the story, and the strike mission. I still do not have enough to buy the portal scroll... and not sure if I would buy it anyway.

 

With a portal every character, no matter how many you have, gains the ability to enter the new zone without prep work. The other way every character you want to enter the new zone (I typically enter the new zone with all characters, for farming if nothing else) you need to do the story up until you are done with the initial instance.

 

It might be in this saga you will just be able to walk from the initial zone to the next since they will be map expansions. We do not know how things will work yet though so the precedent could be bad.

[otto.5684]

I even would take it a step further from the OP. I have zero interest in the story. And I really hated that I have to go through ~30 mins to get to the map. Now that it requires going through the whole fucking episode (or what ever the fuck Anet calls them now), it is even less of a reason to play GW2.

[Fueki.4753]

If Anet added one-time use versions of the tomes for 200 gems to the store, some people would be really happy.

[Game of Bones.8975]

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Yes, you do.

[Obtena.7952]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"Obtena.7952" said:

> > > @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > > > @"BlueJin.4127" said:

> > > > Yeah, it’s kind of inconvenient not being able to buy a portal tome until story completion. Some players don’t care about the story so it may take days to weeks to complete it. Meanwhile, these players may want to just explore the map on their characters. Work-arounds to get to the map before completing the story are inconvenient, too (and more than an inconvenience for players with a lot of characters and few TtF’s). Locking tomes behind story completion seems like a pointless design. It doesn’t hurt anyone if it’s not locked behind story completion, but current set up clearly negatively affects some players.

> > >

> > > Exactly! It also messes things up if you can not complete it for some reason. For example, I have epilepsy. So my block to getting the latest mount was not gathering the mats, it was all the vertigo and flashes I knew were at the end of the story. So I got to the point where I would need to scale up the wing and just stopped. Yes, it meant I did not get the latest shiny but consider my health more important than that. The same could (and probably will) happen in another chapter. Given that anet likes making maps seperate from each other the portal is pretty needed to do something on the map with another character. Usually that is another class, but different races make for a different experience too at times.

> >

> > In convenience isn't a problem.

>

> Excuse me? Did you just refer to a seizure, which sends me to a hospital, as an 'inconvenience'?

>

> I know my limits and take them into account. I would just ask that the game not put something I see as pretty basic BEYOND those limits when in the past they have not been.

 

No, I'm talking about the topic of this thread ... Somehow you decided to get off topic about your skyscale and ailment. The current approach to the vendor and the portal is an inconvenience ... and that's not a problem.

 

[Rasimir.6239]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"perilisk.1874" said:

> > There isn't much to the first story instance, though -- walk and listen. You can do most of it on autopilot while you're doing something else. The little fight at the end is trivial and no more flashy than the map itself.

>

> I agree THIS one was easy but I am concerned about the precedent. There have been some intros that were not short at all.

Maybe it would've been easier for you to get your point across if you had posted "ANet please don't use this as a precendent to lock map access with more complex intro instances" instead. That way people wouldn't have focussed on whether the teleport scroll is needed for this map, but rather on what seems to be your primary fear, that a future map might bring a combination of a complex, time-consuming map access **and** the scroll gated behind a story you might potentially not be able to finish.

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Rasimir.6239" said:

> > @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > > @"perilisk.1874" said:

> > > There isn't much to the first story instance, though -- walk and listen. You can do most of it on autopilot while you're doing something else. The little fight at the end is trivial and no more flashy than the map itself.

> >

> > I agree THIS one was easy but I am concerned about the precedent. There have been some intros that were not short at all.

> Maybe it would've been easier for you to get your point across if you had posted "ANet please don't use this as a precendent to lock map access with more complex intro instances" instead. That way people wouldn't have focussed on whether the teleport scroll is needed for this map, but rather on what seems to be your primary fear, that a future map might bring a combination of a complex, time-consuming map access **and** the scroll gated behind a story you might potentially not be able to finish.

 

Thanks, yes that is actually helpful. For this one if there was something preventing completing the story I could just bring characters through the instance since it is mostly walking around, talking to people, and killing some minor mobs. Either way I wind up shuttling half a dozen characters into the new zone right away to farm whatever is the zone currency. Typically I make it through at least the first story step before that night's reset but do not sweat it if I run into something or other in the story after that where stopping seems to be a good option.