April 19th patch changes

Balance: Stability change – only 1 stack can be removed per second.

Balance: Unlimited target spells like Static Field get a 10 target cap.

Balance: Several more specific skill adjustments to address WvW concerns.

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NEW AOE CAP??

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-Final World Links-

NA

Now: 12 Worlds – 4 Tiers

Before: 24 Worlds – 8 Tiers

For simplicity sake, we just took the current top 12 worlds to use as host worlds, and then we reversed the bottom 12 to create the pairings. Using just population metrics gave us slightly different results, but not different enough to merit the additional player confusion.

Yak’s Bend & Anvil Rock

Blackgate & Eredon Terrace

Jade Quarry & Isle of Janthir

Tarnished Coast & Devona’s Rest

Dragonbrand & Sanctum of Rall

Fort Aspenwood & Borlis Pass

Sea of Sorrows & Gate of Madness

Maguuma & Kaineng

Stormbluff Isle & Crystal Desert

Darkhaven & Ferguson’s Crossing

Henge of Denravi & Sorrow’s Furnace

Northern Shiverpeaks & Ehmry Bay

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April 19th

WvW Reward Tracks & Participation System (Beta)

World Linking (Beta – Population Balance)

Provisions Master Ability Line

Desert BL Layout Rework

Proofs of Heroics (Currency)

Tier 1 WvW Armor

Cultural Armor Vendor

18/20 Slot Bags for badges

Removal of experience gain in WvW

Addition of Tomes of Knowledge to Rankup

Increased cooldowns on all Guild Tactics by 5-10 minutes. This effects things like Chilling Fog, Airship Defense and Emergency Waypoint.

Objective Map Markers display current upgrade level as silver pips.

Shield Generator skill cooldowns slightly increased.

Balance: Stability change – only 1 stack can be removed per second.

Balance: Unlimited target spells like Static Field get a 10 target cap.

Balance: Several more specific skill adjustments to address WvW concerns.

Likely 2 Weeks Later

Alpine BL rotated back in

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The new plan is to let the community more directly influence our priorities than they have in the past. We’d still like to do the scoring update next, and then the seasons/battlegroup stuff, but if it turns out those aren’t community priorities then we’ll strongly consider postponing them to work on whatever ends up being the #1 thing the community voted for.

List of changes that were made to DBL. You’ve noticed most of them, but I’ll list it for others. Oh and Alpine is identical to it’s original state, but with HoT updates (resource nodes are all located inside objectives, support for auto-upgrades and guild claiming).

Fire Keep

Lord Room

Less Gargoyle Turrets

Front half of lava is covered

Added two additional bridges into the lord room

Outer Gates

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Wider Fighting spaces

Lava has been reshaped and is often covered by grates or larger platforms

Dolyak routes have slightly changed, this is especially true for the south side

It’s easier to walk around the outside of the keep from the south side to the north side (less backtracking)

Upper Dunes

Half of the dunes are gone, it’s easy to see into the fire keep from above

There’s a new faster path into the fire keep from the south side.

Less spawns up here, since there is less space for them.

Veteran Sand Wurm event moved slightly.

Oasis

There’s a new smoothed path into the SE side of the keep.

North Shrine

Got rid of the huge random stone wall

Shrine is now atop a metal grate over lava

Air Keep

Lord Room

Less Bird Turrets

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More staircases leading up to room

Outer Gates

Wider bridges

No Bird turrets on bridges

Less Jump pads everywhere (these are now staircases or ramps)

It’s easier to walk around the outside of the keep from the south side to the north side (less backtracking)

South Shrine

Staircase leading up to SE Camp instead of jump pads

Less bamboo bridges, these are more straightforward

No river, elevation of the floor has been raised

Oasis

Jump pads removed, new regular path leading into keep area

Earth Keep

Lord Room

More routes leading up to platform

Canyons

Wider fighting space

Less big rocks

Less Teleporters

Overall

Barricades Removed

~12 Hay Bales scattered about. These are no fall damage locations.

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Phase 2: Scoring Update (QTR 4ish)

One of the next big features the WvW team is planning on tackling is making improvements to our Scoring system. This will also come with some additional rewards improvements that we were holding off on. The update is currently projected to take at least 3 months to implement, and could easily go longer. (Fair warning, this post is really long and detailed)

Overview

As part of WvW 2.0 we plan to update the way WvW matches are scored.

We are doing this for a few big reasons:

Reduce the need for 24 hour coverage by reducing the effects of off hour capping (night capping)

Losing while your team is asleep is no fun

Reduce the number of runaway matches

The feeling of hopelessness when your team is down 100,000 points after a single day

Give players a real opportunity to make a comeback

Matches are often decided in the first

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Placement

Points for 1st – 3/6/9

Points for 2nd – 2/4/6

Points for 3rd – 1/2/3

Action Level

Time of day (Time Band) determines the minimum Action Level for the skirmish, but if the Action Level from actual map participation is higher, that will be the value used.

This is to mitigate the effects of nightcapping without strictly saying that 12am – 8am is simply a lower scoring time period.

Prime Hours

Action Level 3 (Cannot be increased)

4 PM – 10 PM

Subprime Hours

Action Level 2

10 PM – 4 AM

10 AM – 4 PM

Off Hours

Action Level 1

4 AM – 10 AM

Similar to the participation calculation for an individual player in the Rewards Update, but at the full cross-map level.

Each map calculates it’s action level separately and then sent to the server at the beginning of each 2 hour skirmish.

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The map action level is a weighted average of the points generated by each of the three teams.

The server averages the action level of the 4 maps and then lets the clients know what the current action level is

Action Level is set at the beginning of a skirmish and cannot change until the start of the next skirmish.

Action level should not be game-able

By a small number of players

By a single side

By two sides coordinating to trade kills or objectives.

With a grace period, so that 200 people logging off simultaneously right before the start of a new skirmish doesn’t suddenly drop the level.

Last Stand

Last Stand describes the final day of any week long matchup

During Last Stand, skirmish placement points are tripled

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This is intended to provide a final comeback mechanic for teams that are behind and give teams that are behind hope that they are still in the match.

Note: We have tentative plans to move reset times back to Saturday so that Last Stand can happen on Friday night.

Last Stand Placement

Points for 1st – 9/18/27

Points for 2nd – 6/12/18

Points for 3rd – 3/6/9

Skirmish Scoring

Points for Capture

Objectives will award score (for the current skirmish) both on capture, and again on each tick.

This is the method that Edge of the Mists scores objectives, and prevents teams from getting nothing for capturing an objective, but then losing it before the tick scores.

EotM currently awards roughly 3x the objectives tick score on capture. EotM should be normalized to 1x tick score when WvW 2.0 rolls out, so scoring is consistent across all of WvW.

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Capturing upgraded objectives is worth higher amounts of Warscore and Participation(individual rewards.)

Holding upgraded objectives is worth higher amounts of Warscore per tick (PPT).

A fully upgraded keep would be worth double the current value, so 25 -> 50

Castle – 35/46/57/70

Keep – 25/33/41/50

Tower – 15/20/25/30

Camp – 10/13/16/20

Points for Kill

The amount of score earned from PPK will increase to be proportionally more siimiliar to the amount of score earned from PPT (Points Per Tick.)

A rough number would be 1 -> 5, with diminishing returns on killing players who have been alive for less than 5 minutes.

Caravans

*Warscore for Caravan Kills, Caravan Delivery and Sentry Capture should increase by at a similar rate as PPK.

Ex: If killing a player is increased from 1-5 points, killing a dolyak should also increase from 1->5 points.

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Communicate Warscore actions in world better.

Ex: Kill a dolyak and a +5 Warscore floater appears above the corpse for a few seconds.

*Top center point graph should give better feedback when it updates.

Ex: the line should flash and refill everytime objective ownership changes.

Rewards

Skirmish Rewards (Every 2 Hours)

Grants Reward Track Points (large amount)

Amount based on world placement at the end of the Skirmish

Requires at least some recent participation (Reward Level 1 or higher)

Reward Track Points Awarded

1st – 2000

2nd – 1500

3rd -1000

Amount also modified by the number of Ticks a player participated in

8 possible Ticks per Skirmish

For each Tick a player participated in, they will earn an 1/8th of the full reward amount

Indirectly awards whatever items are on WvW Reward Tracks

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skirmish Summary Bouncy Chest type UI to claim rewards

Displays skirmish world placement and reward points

Fills reward track bar and grants any item reward if a new tier is achieved

Match (Every Week)

Grants a huge amount of Reward Track Points

Amount based on world placement at the end of the Match

Amount also modified by the number of Skirmishes a player participated in.

Requires participating in at least 10 Skirmishes to earn the full reward amount.

For each Skirmish a player participated in, they will earn an 1/10th of the full reward amount

Grants WvW Armor Upgrade Tokens

Also grants Tournament Tickets as an additional reward during tournament weeks.

1st – 6,000 Reward Track Points & 3 Armor Tokens (+300 Tournament Tickets)

2nd – 4,500 Reward Track Points & 2 Armor Tokens (200 Tournament Tickets)

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***3rd – 3,000 Reward Track Points & 1 Armor Token (100 Tournament Tickets)

Match Summary Bouncy Chest type UI to claim rewards (Fancier than Skirmish)

Displays match world placement and reward points

Fills reward track bar and grants any item reward if a new tier is achieved

Veteran Bonus

Stacking Reward Track multiplier gained for playing consecutive weeks of WvW.

Each consecutive week of play (starting with week 2) grants a 10% bonus to reward track points earned.

Stacks up to 3 times.

Week 1 – No Modifier

Week 2 – +10% Reward Track Points

Week 3 – +20% Reward Track Points