[Feedback] Upcoming Balance Change MEGATHREAD

So you're saying you would have more fun if the game were more like the test server where you have access to every item? If that's the case then you are playing the wrong game. This game is like Minecraft. You can build crazy things to your hearts content but you have to earn it. Having everything available just cheapens your accomplishments.

 

I am not talking about players who started a week ago. I am talking about the ones who grind months and find nothing. When they get rimmed from people with multiple Wym, VP, BBB or even epics like Lochaber they lose interested and quit. Or did you not realize that the playerbase dwindled and since MP is a factor which keeps most Onlinegames alive this will not stop if new players who took the efford and grinded a lot don´t see results. Now you will at least have a use for the gold if you want to grind for a good deck and you are not more depended on the laughable chance to see a legendary or one of the very few that are good.

 

they have changed a lot of things to make it so if you don't have most of the gear you'll be spending gold faster than you can earn it on legendaries combine that with cheaper epic chests for pizza and slowed farming SP it makes farming a job irl the most time efficient way to get the legendaries you want which is what they would prefer because it includes the step of putting money into the game lol

 

This isn't a multiplayer game that lets you solo grind. This is a single player game that lets you play multiplayer with the items you earn. People make do with what they get. You won't make it to the top of the ranking without a few key items but is that the point of this game? If you think winning in multiplayer is the most important part of this game, again, this is not the game for you.

 

So in the last page or so someone has asserted that 90% of the players play SP while another has asserted that MP is what keeps games alive. So which is it really? Are supposedly 10% of the people keeping the game alive? Are 90% of the people not contributing to the game?

 

But do you run WW/WWE?

 

a 90/10 split tends to be how F2P games work

Tho I'm not sure how fair it would be to try to separate them out into single and mulit player contribution.

 

These changes are because of MP. Maybe Jon doesn't want us to farm adventures that fast too, idk, but he hasn't said that as far as I know.

 

Look all these changes are good and fine, but I want a FRIENDS LIST!!! I gotta be coooool.

 

I think these are all viable changes and there has been A LOT of requests and ideas and this is much better than no change.

 

Rarity + Quality = level factor for a card
Therefore Rarity directly effects level and level directly effect Power Tokens so Rarity should to a certain extent buy power.

 

I agree. It's not fair to separate them out into specific contributions. And yet, we have these changes mainly due to the minority of players. So it must be that this minority is providing the majority of the financial contribution if these changes are because they want to keep the game alive? On the other hand, if these changes are just because of moaning.... then it's just another case of PvP overriding PvE. It's a war I despise and am always on the losing side.

I don't doubt that some of these changes need to be made, but I sure feel like the shaft has been (potentially) given.

Edit: And yes, I'm fully aware that I'm now doing the moaning.

 

Someone played/remembers the first Guild Wars game?
Was somewhat similiar to CH: you used PVE to collect skills (items/cards here) to use also in PVP... at some point appeared clear that some skills that were designed to be meaningful and useful to succeed in pve could play a too big role in pvp.
The solution they came up with to solve the impossibile conundrum has been simple but brilliant: separate versions of skills for pve and pvp (as many users have already suggested in this thread). And it's something that has not to be worked on ALL cards but only for those deemed problematic or broken.
I'm posting this to testify that this idea is not some far-fetched flight of fancy but has worked in the past with great success.

A practical example here:
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Unseen_Fury ----><---- http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Unseen_Fury_(PvP)

imho a great way not to disgruntle neither the (mostly)PVP public nor the (mostly)PVE one!

 

I think I got a migraine listening the amount of whining (oops I mean discention) about the planned changes.
I was really expecting an overwhelming chorus of cheers to a real significant balance change. Yes no one was going to get all of the changes they wanted and yes there are some changes no one asked for (looking at you harnesses). There are still some issues e.g. racial elements (the ability to have 2 Toughness or 2 Elven Trickery) and a lot of concern about Resistant Hide (which I still see as a minor issue, but one with a lot of attention). Okay it is just people giving their opinion which is good.

But I am shocked at the level of displeasure at the change to Randi's. Is it a HUGE change? yes Does it break the game? Not at all
Concerns about Pay to Win are legit, but I think we can all agree that there is no longer any single Brass Ring item that everyone is grabbing for (okay maybe Heartripper) that makes a player OP despite a lack of skill. It will allow for people to pay to get items much more easily (and forgive BM for adding an incentive to spend real money) but honestly let's do the math. If you figure it out a slice of pizza is about 3 cents USD 5 gold per slice sogold is about .6 cents a piece. So if a Legendary is 2,500 gp (and this is assuming reknown is no longer a factor) it works out to about $15 (USD) for a legendary item. Thats a LOT of money for a non-transferable item usuable only in one game. So there is the possibility of people dropping $300+ dollars to get a bunch of items quickly but really $300 would only be 20 legendaries. IF the game is properly balanced it doesn't matter skill will win out. My best build uses 2 legendaries that I could easily swap out with too much of a loss (in fact I recently swapped out a legendary boots for a rare pair to good affect).

Now the more legit concern is grinding/farming to get items is now in vain. Yes if it is easier to get a hard found (but previously very random) item now and that kinda sucks... unless you now have every item you ever wanted. Again unless you are going to drop cash every day to get the new item you always wanted it will still take time and effort to raise the gold needed. Things change what matters is will it be fun to play?

To the concern about having 1 day to farm for a desired item... this is plain foolish. You now have the incentive to farm for gold BEFORE you see an item you want and the incentive is doubled since you now know there are going to be great items available more often. There was a period of 2 weeks I had over 5k in gold with not a single thing to use it on. What fun is that? What is the worst that will happen you will see an item for sale and not be able to buy it? Right now that item is not for sale at all, a limited chance is so much better than no chance at all. I have checked Randi's every week since Late November and there are at least 3 items I really wanted that have never been available (the VP and 2 epics). I am sorry if you spent 100s of hours farming, but is it any different than when they releveled the stores and the time spent farming for Bejeweled and Perfect Toughness (the most unbalanced item left in this game) and now it was just a matter of picking one up for 5 or 25 gp?

I say Huzzah Blue Manchu I would rather a possible mistake due to action than the clear mistake of inaction any day...

 

I respectfully disagree. A bad change is worse than no change. This isn't to say they're all bad, but in the time it took I really expected something better.

 

Again these are proposed changes. I will assume you are miffed about FS. I think this is a poor choice but it has not been deployed and if balance is the idea than FS is WAY OP in SP.

If there is no chance to lose than did you actually win?

 

I'm actually not too annoyed by the FS change. For the two adventures that are used mainly for farming you can still do what you want pretty well with a bit of positioning. In addition, if you position properly you have a less chance of killing your own team so I may be going back to 3 Wizards over 2 Wizards/1 Priest.

What I really don't like are the randi changes. It feels like what I get my joy from playing is being hamstrung. Thus my moaning post above. All I wanted to do was express that. I've gotten it out of my system. It's no worse than the months of moaning over VP.

 

FS: Why FS is nerf like that really depends if BM's true intention is nerfing quick SP farming or not. If it is his intention to bring more cash to dev, then the changes in Randy is a logical move (although I hate idea of L abundance of buying everything with real cash). This is a business decision that we have to honor that.

If this is not BM's true intention, FS can changed to "3 Dam, Burning 3 with duration 1". It does not affect SP much but indeed make Savage FS less juicy in MP. In current high level MP, FS is not a problem as long as NS remain 4 steps. The need to rush to the FS Wizard is fun!

Also how should this game move forward if we expect new influx of player when iPod version come out? Is these FS SP farming/Randy change relates to that?

NS: This bring me into NS. Step attack is a very enjoyable archetype. Nerf it to Step3 will be about right, regardless of the Encumber change. This game still need some Legendary of Legendary let us keep hunting.

Harness: the buff is about right yet slightly on the annoying side when Warrior can easily stack 7 harness + tons of PoleArm; only 4 harness is needed to make them all 'Reliable'. Maybe make Barge remove 1 harness (enemy only). Since Priest is in a way nerfed, give new cards to have priest more easily to remove Harness; touch of pain should see more use if it is Penetrating; unholy damage should ignore all harness.

WW/WWE: As I said before, it cannot be used after the nerf. Make it a mass maze 3 and add Halt to the WWE caster...

SPR: The nerf make it much less popular. The only time I think it is very annoying now is at the receiving end of 2 consecutive SPRs. My suggestion below is probably not perfect, I just think the current nerf to SPR is too heavy handed.
a. target player receive a free Filmsy Block: so it is less likely you got 2X SPR.
OR b. do not discard opponent's last move card: this makes the receiving end of multiple SPR less painful. At least i've a chance to leave.

Draw limit: Does trait cycling reduces this draw limit? If so, the cons is much better than the pro. Thus, don't do it!
If not so, a better implementation would be adding "draw a card, reduce draw limit counter by 1" only for cards that BM think it can be abused.

Otherwise, I like most/all changes!

 

I can see a lot of "RIP single player"-type of comments for the firestorm balance by the same people that claim that FS isn't OP/cookie-cutter - how oxymoronic is that?

That's a perfect example of how badly broken FS is if it's unquestionably the best way to play the game.

Extremely happy to see FS-builds having to worry about board placement.