GUILD WARS goes green!

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MP vs SP as in Multiplayer vs Singleplayer? This game isn't really singleplayer like NWN for example, you can only play it online. Not sure if that's what you meant though, many have made the mistake before in any case so I thought I'd make sure you know what's going on.

The singleplayer aspect in this game is all about using henchmen. Which are exactly as they are in NWN. Sadly, they're not really worse than the average player. While good players are several times better than henchmen can ever be, the average player in this game sucks so incredibly much that henchmen can easily be said to be better than them. And the really bad players, well one henchman is 3 to 10 times better than them to be honest. In fact, it can't even be measured, because the bad gamers have the ultimate power to screw up every little thing for the team. Meaning that leaving the slot empty with no player at all can be a better option.

As I said, the singleplayer in this game is very boring. Someone might disagree, but that's my opinion and the opinion of my friends playing this. It's short, shallow and boring compared to most other online games. Playing with your husband will probably be very interesting for a time, but towards the end of the game you'll still have to team up with other people. Whichever classes you pick won't make a big difference, as you'll likely want a henchman healer anyway. And all the classes can be played well together, so better that you go for what you each feel is best. I've played this with 1-2 friends at a time almost 2 times through now and then some, and to me it's definitely great fun.

I'd avoid builds that focus on one thing too much. Such as 2 healer monks, or 2 necromancers focusing on death magic (death magic gets its power from corpses, consuming them in the process, so 2 death magic necros in the same group halves the power of both which isn't really too productive). But all classes have different builds available for them (75 skills per profession, 150 per character since they all have 2 professions, with only 8 skills you can use at a time and all of the skills overlapping and supporting each other in different more or less spectaclar ways, you can make an insane amount of completely different builds). I've done some amazing things with my 2 friends when all 3 of us are monks, because they are both purely focused on smiting prayers to do heavy damage while I keep the lot of us alive through healing. In a similar manner, a blood magic & death magic necromancer pair can be a devastating combination.

But I do think this is a purchase that needs to be considered carefully. It seems to divide people's opinions to extremes. It might be the worst game you've ever played, or one of the best. This isn't the type that will at least moderately please almost everyone, like most other games are.

 

Hmm..I may have come off to harsh in my statement? Oh well this happens alot to me, so dont think anything of it. I just get frustrated when people make comments that aren't totally true and everyone else reacts acordingly.

As to whether this game is worth getting, well you should already know im going to say yes. Sure it has faults but its a great game and brings alot of new and improved elements to the genre table. Also did I mention its free! As Foradasthar said,"people have different opinions" so take my oppinion for what you think it is worth.

 

I got to level 16 before I sold it. Long rant worth of two columns, but here is the second one. Bleh, I bet what was said here would make a third one... Sorry for the lack of hyperlinks; can't bugger to insert them.

 

Hmm...most excelent detailing of this game's issues. You nailed most of them correctly. It does seem rushed a bit, not to mention the cinematics and cut scenes are less then aspiring. Dont get excited yet because this is the one and only time I'll admit Guild Wars has faults.

 

No offense Wirhe, really no offense, but you don't do much research in a game do you? The skillpoints are 5 per level until 10, 10 until 15, and from there on 15 until 20. You can change the targeting system from the options so that the character won't run head first into the mobs when you click on a new target. In fact, mapping new keys for targeting (i use 'e' for next target and 'q' for previous target) will make you a lot faster targeter as well.

And there was more, but enough of that. In essence, you are right. This game is the type that looks pretty but has little on the inside. The PvP is too controlled to keep it appealing for long, it's basically fighting in laboratory conditions in 100% balance against everything else. Surprising someone, avoiding being surprised, fighting alone against many, or as a part of a group against one etc, things that were present in WoW, you can't get here.

Now with the more recent changes it's become much worse. To prevent the bots they nerfed farming spots and drastically reduced the droprates of good items, then they added PvP rewards and took away the rewards PvE people got from fighting in the arenas. Etc etc yadda yadda. Now the game is in a point where farming in the best possible area I know of (which is considerably better than most other people I know are using) would require 100+ hours of pure farming to come up with enough cash to afford the upgrades and 15k armor etc which I'd like to get for at least one of my characters. Farming..

The idea with this game used to be about how it was about skill. How it suited a casual gamer that was about quality instead of quantity of hours played. But that's just an illusion, as it is with every game. Sure it does a better job than the games thus far, but that just isn't enough. I've always been a sort of "social" gamer. Not that I really want to meet new people online, but I want to do those social professions, get good looking armor and weapons etc. In fact, it doesn't matter to me if my stuff is weaker than normal, as long as I just look stylish. Those looks add to the immersion more than ugly raw power, and the immersion is the sole reason why I play games in the first place.

Anything more I say is useless. Essentially, they took the same route every MMORPG has, the reason for why I've quit all the MMORPGs so far and why I'll be quitting this too. They are so fixated on insulting the player's intelligence by keeping the carrot in front of their faces but always yanking it up further, preventing the player from reaching their goals, that they miss out on those customers who just don't care about the tedious 'everlasting chase' part. I was stupid to play this long, but no more. Even if you can do decent PvP almost from the get-go, you still have to farm and grind like a dumb animal to really become competitive in either PvP or PvE (even glancing at the 15k armor will make a PvE player realise just how ugly the stuff they're forced to wear is... and this attitude of preventing the more 'social' gamers to get what they want even though the 15k armor gives no additional bonus to the regular armor at all, is just ridiculous in my opinion). And simply staying in the random arenas with my average skills fighting the retarded 10-yearold morons who can't even spell their constant cussings right, because without that farming or grinding I have no other choice, is not my idea of fun.

Conclusion: I suppose for someone who prefers absolutely balanced and controlled PvP with dimwit children as opponents (or likes to avoid the dimwit children part by wading through a mass of crappy guilds to finally find a good one, and then start making weekly and daily event schedules for a silly game), this is a good game. But for someone who enjoys the RP side, I'd recommend you stick to singleplayer instead. The multiplayer aspect in this is really not a bonus, you'll spend most of your time with henchmen anyway unless you're a masochist who enjoys the pain you get from the incompetent and antisocial idiots most of the people playing this game seem to be like. If you've friends, it's worth it for a while... but for how long, I can't tell. For me, it's reached its limit.

 

All those hours I spend playing that character, of course, until I reached lv.16. The point of my columns is that it is from the POV of a casual player and how they/we see the game. A few points can be wrong and I might have forgotten to say something crucial, but in the end it should describe the game accurately.

 

I am really surprised to see how many people play this game now. When ever I login the cities are packed. When I first starting playing in April it was impossible to find a full team, now...well lets just say I have to ignore alot of spammers who think I want to be on their team.

Is it finally distributing well or are people flocking over from everquest and world of warcraft? Not sure....but the crowds are thick.