Changes Coming to the NPE

#1 - Sept. 16, 2014, 2:39 p.m.

The devs have been reviewing your feedback on the New Player Experience. While some bug fixes have already been made, the team will be making other updates in the future to address:

• Plot holes and story inconsistencies that may have been introduced with story realignment
• Replacing the missing profession mechanics UI for the Ranger and Mesmer professions
• Investigating issues that prevent players from retaining some skills (heal, utility, and elite) that they had previously unlocked
• Addressing an issue with bundles that prematurely unlocked utility and elite skills

Other aspects of the NPE are being examined, and your constructive feedback is welcome and appreciated.

#4 - Sept. 16, 2014, 2:42 p.m.

Fernling.1729:

So were these the only parts that were considered to be bugs?
besides the ones already fixed of course.

Nah. That’s what the “other aspects are being considered” means. The team is open to suggestions. From what I understand, this should not be considered a final list.

Thanks for asking.

#14 - Sept. 16, 2014, 3:01 p.m.

Hi Gaile,

Lovely to see you (-:

I am going to link this thread to the ‘communicating with you thread’ so the folks there can see the info you posted and get a better idea about some of the changes we are making to improve the communication with our community.

Chris

P.S: <3

#26 - Sept. 16, 2014, 3:14 p.m.

Note we want to make the fixes and then have a focused discussion about the system (Probably here)

We really want to hear what you think once the system/content is functioning as designed.

Chris

#42 - Sept. 16, 2014, 3:56 p.m.

Cindas.6149:

Chris Whiteside.6102:

Note we want to make the fixes and then have a focused discussion about the system (Probably here)

We really want to hear what you think once the system/content is functioning as designed.

Chris

What happened to the “plan” posted 5 days ago (here)?

Stephane Lo Presti.7258:

Hi there,

As a follow-up to Colin’s post, we want you to know that we’re busy working on fixing bugs in the New Player Experience system. We’re also using this opportunity to make a few changes to its design to take into account the feedback we’ve been reading. We’re aiming to deploy the fixes early next week.

As Colin explained (make sure to read this post and that one if you haven’t!), this is a complex, “big picture” system that has a lot of components. We want it to benefit all players and improve your game experience overall.

We understand that this is an important topic for the community and appreciate that players have been talking about it. We’ve been triaging bug reports, developing fixes for them and discussing what design changes we will bring to you next week. We’ll continue to both work on the next updates and read the feedback from the community on this topic!

Thank you

Or was that simply a “calming ruse” . . . ?

Sorry Cindas I don’t understand. What do you mean what happened to the plan? There is no change to the plan.

Chris

#44 - Sept. 16, 2014, 3:58 p.m.

eyestrain.3056:

From my experience playing a new character:

1. Unlocking skills all at once per weapon was more confusing for me, and more boring. Previously fights didnt feel like grind because I was unlocking skills along the way, and I had more time with one skill to feel what it did. Now I get a bunch at once and am slowed down by having to read every tool tip over and over and I don’t remember what each skill does as well.

2. Not gaining skill points each level… even with the big message saying i’m being rewarded and that i’ve “unlocked” things (many things arent locked to begin with) I dont feel each level is giving me progress toward new abilities.

3. The level up menu gives vague, incomplete information and if I want it off the screen quickly there’s no way for me to figure out later what it was telling me. It takes up the whole screen so if you impulse click on it in combat there’s no time to hover your mouse or click the things it wants you to. In my opinion a true tutorial in controlled instances would be better than these obtrusive, only half-informative, and easily missed pop ups.

4. Some world-building dialogue/heart quest options have been removed (the inquest no longer try to recruit you, no golem chess, you can’t feed bear cubs or play as a sylvan hound). What drew me to gw2 was its world, characters, visuals. These charming details help it stand out from the “kill 45 crawfish to proceed” competitors. Their absence is missed.

5. I am seriously not looking forward to buying/unlocking all of my traits.
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Game-Updates-Traits/first

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!

Thanks for your feedback Eye.

Chris

#49 - Sept. 16, 2014, 4:03 p.m.

Ohoni.6057:

Note we want to make the fixes and then have a focused discussion about the system (Probably here)

We really want to hear what you think once the system/content is functioning as designed.

Chris

Again, waiting until it’s “functioning as designed” before having the discussion about it just pushes back the point where solutions can be reached. If you’d have discussed these changes with us months ago we could have hashed them out before the patch, and we wouldn’t be in this mess. Let’s say it takes another week to get things “functioning as designed,” and then we spend another couple weeks debating the changes, that’s weeks wasted when you could be working on fixing them now.

You guys already know which elements of the current game are bugs and which are features, so instead of waiting until the bugs have been removed, why not just TELL use which elements are not intended and which are, and we can discuss the issue from there?

This is the core about what we mean when we say we want communication. We don’t want to wait until things are implemented and then discuss them, we want in on the design process BEFORE you waste the time and effort implementing systems that we never wanted in the first place. Think of how many manhours you guys wasted working on these NGE systems that are dead on arrival with the players! How many other great systems could those developers have been working on instead in that time?

As has been detailed many times we will not be disclosing work in progress. I don’t know how to make this any clearer. As uncomfortable as this may be this is the reality.

Chris

P.S: If you want to discuss potential future features and systems then you are welcome to partake in the CDI.

#57 - Sept. 16, 2014, 4:16 p.m.

ShadowDragoonFTW.3418:

Chris Whiteside.6102:

As has been detailed many times we will not be disclosing work in progress. I don’t know how to make this any clearer. As uncomfortable as this may be this is the reality.

Chris

Chris, I feel the need to point out one thing here. The person you replied to, he wasn’t saying we want to dig in when things are still in design phase.

A major point of the post was, “If you had let us in on the extent of the changes just a week before they were implemented, you could have gotten a lot of the feedback you have now, but two weeks earlier”.

I think that’s a major point there. By that point in time, nothing would (or at least should) have been a “work in progress”. It would have been “ready to deploy”. Just giving us that small look into something that “we’re preparing to push out in just a few days” would have helped substantially for both your side, and for ours.

Ah ok well I didn’t get that sorry Ohoni and thanks Shadow. Let me have a think and I will give you both my opinion. As i am sure you are aware this idea comes with a similar set of issues to.

Chris

#66 - Sept. 16, 2014, 4:42 p.m.

Nokaru.7831:

If we’re actually going to have a thread discussing the NPE, can it actually be full of constructive criticism and suggestions instead of just rage and hyperbole? This thread looks like it’s already going south, so I hope this won’t be the place to talk about it.

That would indeed be great.

Chris

#214 - Sept. 16, 2014, 10:42 p.m.

JackDaniels.1697:

Everybody that hates the NPE is going to take over the discussion after all the fixes have been released I believe. You’re going to see multiple posts by the same people that hate it, and it’s going to seem like a lot more people dislike the new changes, when in reality, it’s just those same people that really want to make their point across. And not that there is anything wrong with posting more than once, it is a discussion after all, but you get my point.

I mean you can see the evidence of it now, with people complaining in one thread over the subject, and then having some of those same people from that thread start up new threads on pretty much the same topic.

I do agree that some minor changes need to happen, but hopefully Anet doesn’t give in to the pressure and make a complete 180 to the NPE, because I believe some of these changes are good for the game.

So I can’t wait to chime in when all the fixes are done. Should be interesting.

I agree with you about this. I think it’s premature to gauge how NPE will play at the current time, because we do know changes are coming.

And yes, you do see some forum members making the same points again and again. That truly is not helpful to the review and discussion, in that the devs would prefer a focused, clear, concise statement rather than realizing “Wait, it’s that same person, saying the same thing for the 19th time.”

#236 - Sept. 16, 2014, 11:32 p.m.

Soraiah.5042:

So… what changes are coming? What is a bug? What is only declared as a bug because the players don’t like it and noone wants to admit that it was a mistake?

I don’t recall seeing that. Granted, my viewpoint is different, but I really think I see a bug called a bug and a change called a change.

Chris or one of our designers is your better source for info on this. But my impression is that we don’t “sugar coat” actual changes by dressing them up in a bug suit.

#243 - Sept. 16, 2014, 11:59 p.m.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Soraiah.5042:

So… what changes are coming? What is a bug? What is only declared as a bug because the players don’t like it and noone wants to admit that it was a mistake?

I don’t recall seeing that. Granted, my viewpoint is different, but I really think I see a bug called a bug and a change called a change.

Chris or one of our designers is your better source for info on this. But my impression is that we don’t “sugar coat” actual changes by dressing them up in a bug suit.

That is correct Gaile.

Chris

#244 - Sept. 17, 2014, midnight

I have been reading this thread all night. Some very interesting discussions.

Chris

#345 - Sept. 17, 2014, 1:14 p.m.

Hi All,

I am up to date with the conversation. We are discussing your thoughts internally and continuing to work on the story steps. Once I have some more new I will update the thread.

Meanwhile I just want to communicate with certainty that NPE was not implemented in order to increase monetization from the BLT. It was designed for brand new players to the game. And it is for that reason that we are working with you to understand how to better refine the system.

Chris