Opinions: WvW Forums Lockdown

Benjamin,

I think you have hit on a very small part of this servers problems.  While I do agree that opening up a forum for the general population of  SoR is a good thing to do, I must admit it will do little.  What I have seen is that we are very loosely knit, our server has zero unity.  It is only about one guild or another, it is only about loot, and its not very inclusive.  No matter how many guilds BG or JQ has gained, from other servers to give them an edge, we had the numbers to at least compete at the start of the season.  Problem is no one is willing to take our PvE friends and help them with there achievements while also putting them to work for us.  Those like me, that want to actually rack up some ppt do not have a reason to go out there now because it is either just about loot, zerg on zerg or Karma.  Now I can not entirely lay the blame on the commanders or people in WvW, as this is the way ANet has kind of set it up.  I have never once seen a commander in WvW through the entire season or even now that has tried to unit everyone... "Get with the Zerg" "Go back to PvE" "You should be with the other Noobs in EB" these are not ways to unify our Server and do not lead to a common goal.  While opening a WvW forum for all of the server to see will help with getting opinions out there, how many are willing to take the time for a server who has taken little time to help them?  By the way, as far as the current WvW Section goes, I have been with the server since day one, I have been on this site for close to a year, not a single time have I been told about an access code or even that we have a locked down section.

Mistress Collisto|Molly Oakenheart|Lena Andersdotter|Heather Jones
Guild Leader of [JADE] www.Immortalizedin.enjin.com

Benjamin,

I do not feel that opening up the Realm War section will do much.  Activity seems scarce on this website PERIOD.  Which is sad, honestly, because I KNOW you worked your kitten off on this website to make it the best community resource you can.  If the rest of the site is not active, then the WvW section will not be active, password or not.

I think we should be having another conversation now instead: what do we do to unite people on this server and build STICKINESS to this website.  You are a web developer; you know what I am talking about.  The Great Tyrian Adventure and its tie-in to this site is a darn good start. There are a lot of newer Commanders in WvW.  And this is good.  It is time to unite them together; it is time to expose them to this website and its resources.

I am an aspiring web developer and an aspiring, learning Commander in WvW.  But, I will do my part to build exposure to this site, and the WvW section. What it takes is a few good men to go above the call of duty of just logging in and playing, but caring enough to share.

PM me some time. I am 110% for community growth and I love what GSCH is doing here. Let me know what I can do to assist.

- Roger

Combat Medic Barbie

Guild Leader, Chariot of Fire [FIRE]

Guild Leader, World Versus World For God [wGOD]

Combat Medic Barbie | Mist Walker Barbie | Rigor Mortis Barbie

Guild Leader of Chariot of Fire [FIRE]

I'm of the opinion to open it up. I'd like to participate in the WvW specific discussions, and share my two cents, cause that's about all it's worth. Because of the fact that very few people know a code, few people use it. I haven't ever known the code, and WvW is what I usually do.

As for the issues with community unity, I don't think this is the particular thread to discuss it. That's something for guild leaders to speak to their guilds about, carry the majority opinion of their own guild to the other GMs, commanders, and members throughout the server. I know some people would prefer their own voice to be heard, but I work with Fog and the GSCH leaders, and I trust them to take my opinion into account. I'll lend a hand, but I'm no one in particular. I just play the game and love the server I'm on. It's the love for the people here, the things I see happening, and the things we do together. That's why I'm here, and here to stay.

I usually see threads and topics that I might want to read while I read the GSCH page only to find that I need a code. Maybe I'm not in the mood at that time to log in, ask for the code and then check the forums.

Yes, I procrastinate and I'm lazy, but I'm guessing I'm not the only one with this situation :p

Artrath is correct, this is not the place to discuss the unity issue. However that was part of my decision to endorse at least a public WvW chat if nothing more then to help unite us out there.  Most of our issues about server unity are from in WvW.  We can run a Teq fight as a server no problem, but can we communicate with our commanders or the guild that organize WvW?  I don't know about everyone else here, but with the exception of about 3 or 4 of the large WvW guilds how do I approach the guild leader of "---" guild to inform him/her on what is going on or being said?  What if the person causing an issue or needing to be contacted is the guild leader?  Not to mention if they are currently leading the zerg, how can you call that person out without causing issues with moral(not that this forum should be negative, but instead should be constructive)?  Time differences are another issue with communicating via in game like that.  The real strategy and planning on specific goals or times should still be closed off to prevent any spying, but we should have a way for everyone to be heard, especially the many smaller guilds.  Maybe opening the one you speak of to the public may not be the way to go, but possibly a public one heavily moderated to make sure important details or planning is not exposed and that it doesn't become negative?

Mistress Collisto|Molly Oakenheart|Lena Andersdotter|Heather Jones
Guild Leader of [JADE] www.Immortalizedin.enjin.com

Sounds to me like your mind is made up Fog.

The most important tool to communicate and discuss WvW matters is teamspeak. The adress is ts.zerodrama.org, please join us there! every Rallian is welcome.

It's often advertised in map chat in order to get people on TS so they can listen in on what's happening. All major WvW guilds are using it and communicate with eachother that way. If any other guild decide they rather want to stay on their own voicechat or on another like the PvE one, then it's their own choice since nobody can force them to join the WvW teamspeak server. But you have to understand that it won't help us much if you're not on Teamspeak with the rest of the WvW'ers. If you have questions or you need to contact a WvW guild leader or commander, you'll most likely find them on ts.zerodrama.org.

As of today, a new website has been opened for any Rallian who wishes to join. It's a SoR WvW community website where you can find others with the same interest (WvW). Reason behind this website is to give the WvW community in Sanctum of Rall a platform that can be controlled by all the guild leaders of the major WvW guilds.

Hope to see you there on the website or on teamspeak :)

Website: http://rallians.enjin.com/

Teamspeak 3: ts.zerodrama.org

Retsu - Helioz [Hel]

The section is open, but the threads aren't viewable. However, you're prolly working on it =)

Fog, after reading what you posted, I am actually in agreement with you. You enlightened me to a mindset that we SHOULD have as a server that I fear is not present as often as it should be.  Remove the pass.  In the end, its not our super-secret forum chatter that will allow us to win.  Its our unity, activity, and resilience that will allow us to triumph in the end. I am a US Army soldier.  If I feared the enemy and ran with my tail between my legs in the face of opposition greater than I, then I would be a useless warrior to this nation.  I am conditioned to rise above my opponents.  Think quick, strike hard, and accomplish the mission.

Combat Medic Barbie | Mist Walker Barbie | Rigor Mortis Barbie

Guild Leader of Chariot of Fire [FIRE]

I was wondering why this sight was so .........quiet.  I just registered for the new sight.  Look forward to getting the community involved! 

/salute

[TSYM] Plague

All, 

This site is known to many of the long term WvW guilds, though it has been quiet I believe that may be to lack of exposure.  Perhaps we can work on an API to allow syndication to other guilds private forums?  That way each guild leader can verify their own members to have access.  A separate syndication could be for WvW Leaders and Guild Officers for open discussion.  

On another note, we have some opinions that we don't have unity, turn out or that we lose guilds in WvW.  I have been gaming, leading guilds, raiding and PVPing since the days of MUDS, NWN on AOL and every fantasy based MMO since.  People come and people go in games that is the nature of gaming.  Content and community is what keeps coming back for more.  While PVE gets updates on a regular basis, WvW does not. The rewards for the seasons leave a lot to be desired from people who arent heavily into WvW.  Therefore the community is what we have to concentrate on.  We must all actively work to involve people in our guilds in supporting the environment if we want to see it change.

I constantly hear in WvW, go ask your guilds to send people, go ask in Lions Arch for more people in XX BL.  It is rare that when this call is made that we see large responses if any at all.  With a little prompting I could write a android app that allowed for private WvW communication as an emergency alert service between verified members to allow more people to know when assistance is needed.  We would need a way to decide who is allowed to send messages to ensure this doesnt become a spam bot.  Those are items that could be worked out with a little though and planning.

Another thing I constantly hear is, "I want to be a leader in WvW but I don't know where to start." We have the ability to help, it takes time, training and commitment but it will get more people involved if we take the take to develop the future leaders.  This may also keep some of the overworked WvW leaders a break and keep the burnout down, which I know is happening.

It is undoubtably beneficial to have a public forum for all members of our community to discuss WvW with as few barriers as possible.  It is also beneficial to have a dedicated place for the more compekittenive members of our community to discuss WvW in private.  From the perspective of one of the seemingly few members of this community to exert the minimal effort of asking in team chat for the battlefield access code, how many members will go through the hassle of registering on a separate enjin based website and "contacting one of the [unnamed] administrators ingame" to be approved?  It is deeply troubling that the WvW community and the SoR community are now distinct entities.

@Xivor, while appreciating your bravery, fear != caution.  A more apt analogy would be publishing your orders for all to see in advance of an operation.  Limiting access to military intelligence is paramount to all armed forces and has nothing to do with where you position your tail on the battlefield.  There may be a legitimate concern to have certain aspects of our WvW strategies and tactics classified whether or not such strategies and/or tactics exist or have ever existed here.

Edit: Fixed random kittenage that shouldn't have been kittened.

I cannot deny your perspective, as your example is one that I know all too well.  However, we are comparing apples and oranges.  Are we trying to fight a war to the death, or are we remaining competetive in an online game? In war, I have no choice but to do my duty.  I have orders, and I follow them.  Plain and simple.  Community, however, does not trump orders.  In WvW, community trumps everything.  If people do not feel like they are a vital part of the "war", then they won't participate.  WvW is meant to be FUN, not a chore.  I relate the average person in WvW like a new private deployed to Afghanistan.  They don't know really what is going on.  They just get told to do something, and they do it.  They follow their commander.  However, in WvW, many HAVE the opportunity to know what is going on.  Their are resources here for them to participate in.  However, because no one tells them (and the fact that they have to jump through hoops to get here...i.e. the password), it makes it more challenging.  

I am not what I consider the average person.  I can easily respect the security aspects of this website and the importance of private discussion for tactics and such.  However, I am not Joe Schmo in the zerg, just blindly following the blue dorito that wants to know more.  I WAS that guy.  But I couldn't participate, because I didn't have access to the section on this site.  Thankfully, I figured out who the GL of GSCH was, and I messaged him on here and requested access.  Not everyone could figure that out.

I guess I am just saying that the average community member could benefit more from a public set of forums. 

Combat Medic Barbie | Mist Walker Barbie | Rigor Mortis Barbie

Guild Leader of Chariot of Fire [FIRE]

It is undoubtably beneficial to have a public forum for all members of our community to discuss WvW with as few barriers as possible.  It is also beneficial to have a dedicated place for the more compekittenive members of our community to discuss WvW in private.  From the perspective of one of the seemingly few members of this community to exert the minimal effort of asking in team chat for the battlefield access code, how many members will go through the hassle of registering on a separate enjin based website and "contacting one of the [unnamed] administrators ingame" to be approved?  It is deeply troubling that the WvW community and the SoR community are now distinct enkittenies.

You don't have to ask an administrator to get access actually. Right now anyone who applies gets accepted to the website. So far there's over 100 members. The reason for setting up rallians.enjin.com is not to split the community up into two distinct entities, but to give "control" over a community platform back to the active WvW guilds. This is a great website, especially for SoR events. But the control of this website is in the hands of GSCH, a guild who isn't specifically involved in WvW. However, every guild in SoR (big or small) is welcome to get involved and everyone is free to apply on the http://rallians.enjin.com website.

In order to respond to this thread I’ll reply here as well.

Most players in WvW are actually very friendly and are willing to explain things as long you’re willing to listen. Sadly, sometimes I’ve seen WvW players belittle people with the term of “PvE’er, as if that’s a “lesser entity”. Of course that’s not true. They are just trying to be the cool kids :P We all have our own preferences on how we want to play this game and I’m sure most WvW players have done their fair share of PvE. Think I personally have done more PvE then WvW but that doesn’t make me a noob or less than anyone else, so don’t get discouraged by some “elites”. We’ve all started WvW at some point as “newb”.

One thing I personally don’t like is how some players treat WvW as a karma farm. Yes, everyone is free to do whatever they want in WvW. But these players who only come on to WvW for karma train and complain when their karma train is wrecked don’t help the server at all, and it doesn’t help the way WvW players look at non WvW players.

World vs World is a big place which can be quite overwhelming, especially when you’re there for the first time. A good way to start is by joining the http://rallians.enjin.com website. You can find guides there on WvW and ask questions there if you have them. Also it’s advised to be on Teamspeak (ts.zerodrama.org) when you’re in WvW. You don’t have to speak, but you need to be able to listen to what’s going on so you understand where to go and where you’re needed.

The Beauty of WvW is that everyone is free to do what they want. You can follow a commander (can chooce to follow only specific commanders that you like), run a havoc group or roam by yourself. Nobody can demand things from you if you’re not willing to do them. Of course there are certain social WvW rules for the greater good of the server. For example if asked not to take supply from keep, you shouldn’t. It’s not because they want to be bossy, but because certain things when asked from you is to improve our battle abilities in the game when fighting enemy servers. Of course, if you’re wondering why you can or can’t do something, you can always ask. Sanctum of Rall is actually a very laid back server in WvW compared to Jade Quarry and Blackgate when it comes to defending. There are certain objectives that need to be defended at all costs, like SoR garrison and EB keep but overall, SoR doesn’t really care about PPT which prevents anyone from getting burned out. As for WvW guilds, there are actual big differences between them when it comes to their rules. Some may ask you to run a specific build or even class. Others like mine leave you completely free which class and build you want to run. Joining the crowd of people in WvW is usually the right recipe for what you want from WvW to have fun.

Many players worked hard and sacrificed themselves for the server in WvW in the past, either by commanding, scouting or just by being there when they were needed. It’s only natural that those players start to bond together with those standing next to them on the battlefield. Many are happy to call themselves a Rallian and that’s why so many WvW guilds are still here. What I’m trying to say is that it’s not weird to see WvW players bonding more strongly with fellow WvW players instead of players who stay out of WvW. This is also the reason why the connection between major WvW guilds is stronger.

Again, everyone is welcome and more numbers in WvW is encouraged! No matter which guild you’re from. Same with having new commanders tag up. WvW is really fun once you know you’re way around and found the right people to play with :)

And don’t get discouraged by a few mean “elites”.

» Edited on: 2014-01-25 09:55:33

Retsu - Helioz [Hel]

I do not see how a second community website when this one is already in place, and has been since nearly the start is NOT creating division among our community.  This is EXACTLY the type of thing I am talking about in this thread.  And, Enjin's websites are subpar to what this website has to offer...I have one myself, I know.

But, if that is what the WvW community wants...their own little circle, then that is fine.  SoR has always been about playing how you like. I will reluctantly support both, but I am pretty sure my guildies will not regularly visit both.  Since they already know of this site here and use it for other things, I am pretty certain the Rallians site will not get much traffic, no matter what I say.

Combat Medic Barbie | Mist Walker Barbie | Rigor Mortis Barbie

Guild Leader of Chariot of Fire [FIRE]

I am personally going to suggest that my guild PRAE become more active on the wvw aspect of this site. As we are a primarily havoc squad/group roaming guild, we would love to here some of the bigger ideas and strategies the larger guilds are focusing on and correspond accordingly.

We usually get our information on larger topics or discussion from either the TS or HEL in WvW, although it would be great to open it up more here so that we have an ongoing dialogue that members can check out whether they are in game or not.

It would also be great to spotlight here the upcoming TS discussions or topics, as sometimes we inadvertently miss when our TS meetings are.

As a PvE player (and sometimes commander) I'd like to mention that talking and announcing decisions and plans only on TS is not the way to make more people do WvW. A lot of us can't really get on any voicechat due to family being around (and it's not about profanity), because it's inconvenient in another ways (need to turn off skype, music in background, need to hear lots of pointless - for a casual player - discussions) or even because of language barrier - there are many people on SOR which are not native English speakers, which have far easier time with reading and writing than listening and speaking.

Also, many more people see rude elitists in WvW than are active here. So I guess getting more people requires work mostly on WvW guilds' side. Other guilds' leaders and officers may simply not be interested and have no obligation tu push their players towards it, if they're focused on PvE or are just casual guilds.

Last thing - guild is a sum of its players, but guildies are so much more than simple parts of the equation. Getting PvE acquaintances and enticing them to play WvW, convincing them that WvW is not only for elitists, could bring amazing results - better than just waiting for them to come. And would hopefully result in community uniting, and not splitting between WvW and PvE.

I think you all have a great system and site in place. Its why I recently stopped lurking and joined. I finally had someone tell me the access code for site membership in game. ;)

I think its of utmost importance that we spread this site's link around in SoR's main maps to help make this website be the link that ties our community together. Log-in required Members Only WvW Strategy forums is a great way to keep the "security" of our strategies and only strategies and important internal server affairs. But I think we should open up the general WvW Discussions/Events to the public or general members of the site. There are members of our server that lurk here. If its not working as intended, then it should be changed. That idea for an app and associated API is a great idea ;)  

Too bad, we don't have a megaphone like item, a server wide chat channel, or a guild alliance system :/

I just see the wvw section which was locked down.  Is it all open or certain sections still locked down (I am not sure cos I didn't know where to get access key).

Currently its all open

-Dharkon