Guild Wars 2

[vampinoy]

Is Guild Wars 2 worth purchasing if you will only play it a little?

Every minute is a worth it The game is just that amazing. Keep us posted.

[Thelastblink]

Thanks guys! Is it more fun than PL? Also, for minimum requirements it says Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz, but my laptop has core i7 but runs at like 1.5 GHz. That's ok right, cos I think core i7 is pretty new and better than Intel Core Duo 2.0?

[Cascade]

Yes it is much more fun than PL because it is a full fledged MMO.

[Thelastblink]

Thanks guys! Is it more fun than PL? Also, for minimum requirements it says Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz, but my laptop has core i7 but runs at like 1.5 GHz. That's ok right, cos I think core i7 is pretty new and better than Intel Core Duo 2.0?

I need you guys to answer that
https://buy.guildwars2.com/en/ Link is here!

[zeusabe]

Thanks guys! Is it more fun than PL? Also, for minimum requirements it says Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz, but my laptop has core i7 but runs at like 1.5 GHz. That's ok right, cos I think core i7 is pretty new and better than Intel Core Duo 2.0?

Yup more fun than PL...you're like comparing a short skit to a mega-blockbuster film, I'm not exaggerating. Yup, that's a high end processor already. Next up, you need a decent Video Card...here's a very helpful link to guide you:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...GdLdHAwQktkbkE

After you determined your CPU, RAM, CPU, Video Card...You need to have a good cooling system, after that, you need to know how much power your system will need and buy a good power supply, after that you're good to go Good luck and make it quick, you don't want to miss Wintersday in Guildwars 2 :P

[Thelastblink]

Yup more fun than PL...you're like comparing a short skit to a mega-blockbuster film, I'm not exaggerating. It's almost insulting for GW2 to be compared to PL. Yup, that's a high end processor already. Next up, you need a decent Video Card...here's a very helpful link to guide you:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...GdLdHAwQktkbkE

After you determined your CPU, RAM, CPU, Video Card...You need to have a good cooling system, after that, you need to know how much power your system will need and buy a good power supply, after that you're good to go

Apparently my computer doesn't heat as it has this SSD thing or something. And thank you But I don't get what you mean by need to know how much power your system will need and buy a good power supply. Btw, is video card graphics card?

[zeusabe]

Apparently my computer doesn't heat as it has this SSD thing or something. And thank you But I don't get what you mean by need to know how much power your system will need and buy a good power supply. Btw, is video card graphics card?

SSD has nothing to do with your computer heating, it's simply a high end alternative of your HDD (Hard Disk), it function the same as your HDD but it has more power behind it making you load your files a lot quicker. What usually makes your computer heat up is your CPU, the more graphic-intensive your application gets, or the more application you're running at the same time, the more work the CPU makes and the more heat is produced. Your CPU is where all the labor happens in your computer, so all heat will be coming from there. Your laptop should have a built-in fan but sometimes that's not enough especially for long time gaming. If your computer isn't heating up while playing GW2, then you don't need a new cooling system.

Each of your component demands power, when you total it, your power supply must have enough watts to supply to accommodate it.

Yes, Video Card is Graphics Card aka GPU

PS: If you're not changing anything in your current setup, you don't need to worry about power supply

[Thelastblink]

Did lots of research, I have Intel HD Graphics 4000... Will that be good enough to play?

[zeusabe]

Did lots of research, I have Intel HD Graphics 4000... Will that be good enough to play?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Guild-W...d.81604.0.html

Go to the link above and scroll down or search for Intel 4000, they tested its performance and came out with the ff:

LOW setting (Best performance preset) : 37 FPS
HIGH setting (Best appearance preset) : 12 FPS
ULTRA setting (All maximum/On FXAA) : 5 FPS

Skimmed through the article a little bit and it seems like the tests were conducted during exploration where there's least stress to your Video Card. Those figures will dramatically go down as you encounter more enemies on screen...in world vs world PVP, you will encounter 30+ people even more in your screen so that 37 FPS achieved in exploration can plummet down to single digits even at low setting in World vs World PVP where everyone is.

So I think your current Video Card can probably let you explore the world with small skirmishes in low setting (which a let down, the game is so beautiful at high to ultra setting)...but the moment things get heated up with more enemies and more players in your screen...your screen may start to stutter (looks like lag).

I think you need to consider upgrading your Video Card.

[Thelastblink]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Guild-W...d.81604.0.html

Go to the link above and scroll down or search for Intel 4000, they tested its performance and came out with the ff:

LOW setting (Best performance preset) : 37 FPS
HIGH setting (Best appearance preset) : 12 FPS
ULTRA setting (All maximum/On FXAA) : 5 FPS

Skimmed through the article a little bit and it seems like the tests were conducted during exploration where there's least stress to your Video Card. Those figures will dramatically go down as you encounter more enemies on screen...in world vs world PVP, you will encounter 30+ people even more in your screen so that 37 FPS achieved in exploration can plummet down to single digits even at low setting in World vs World PVP where everyone is.

So I think your current Video Card can probably let you explore the world with small skirmishes in low setting (which a let down, the game is so beautiful at high to ultra setting)...but the moment things get heated up with more enemies and more players in your screen...your screen may start to stutter (looks like lag).

I think you need to consider upgrading your Video Card.

Yep! sadly I do. OK!
I want to spend the least amount of money as possible, how much will it cost to upgrade my GPU to the point where there will be no lag when LOTS of people are around. Just gimme the lowest amount of money I need to spend to play GW2 really good at good settings.

[zeusabe]

I think you have to invest on NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M or better (or any equivalent).

LOW: 44 FPS
HIGH: 30 FPS
ULTRA: 12 FPS

[Thelastblink]

I think you have to invest on NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M or better (or any equivalent).

LOW: 44 FPS
HIGH: 30 FPS
ULTRA: 12 FPS

Hmm 30 FPS on high. Is that good? Cos apparently 60 FPS is normal.

[zeusabe]

Hmm 30 FPS on high. Is that good? Cos apparently 60 FPS is normal.

That's the lowest you should aim for to at least enjoy exploring the world and open world PvE.

Yes, 60 FPS is normal in desktops especially if you're not in the middle of a huge battle. I can easily achieve 100+ FPS in high setting while in towns and just walking around the map. I'm not even using top components (planning to upgrade again this Christmas). In heavy battles, that number drops down to 30-35 FPS. So that gives you an idea how much heavy battles can affect your FPS.

This means if you're doing 30 FPS or less while doing exploration and world PvE, then your screen will probably stutter a lot when you engage in high battle events or mass PVP in world vs world.

PS: Before I forget, most laptops have their Video Cards attached to their Mother Boards. It's very hard to upgrade laptops piece by piece due to propriety reasons by the manufacturer. People normally buy an entire laptop with an already built-in gaming video card...that will cost you easily $1000....I assembled my desktop for less than $500 and more powerful than a gaming laptop worth $1000 lol. So....I know there are ways to still upgrade laptops but I'm not familiar with that anymore...plus, it's hard to find retail stores that sell laptop parts...sorry I wasn't able to bring this up earlier.

This is non-issue in desktops, parts are everywhere, and assembly is literally like playing Lego

[Thelastblink]

That's the lowest you should aim for to at least enjoy exploring the world and open world PvE.

Yes, 60 FPS is normal in desktops especially if you're not in the middle of a huge battle. I can easily achieve 100+ FPS in high setting while in towns and just walking around the map. I'm not even using top components (planning to upgrade again this Christmas). In heavy battles, that number drops down to 30-35 FPS. So that gives you an idea how much heavy battles can affect your FPS.

This means if you're doing 30 FPS or less while doing exploration and world PvE, then your screen will probably stutter a lot when you engage in high battle events or mass PVP in world vs world.

PS: Before I forget, most laptops have their Video Cards attached to their Mother Boards. It's very hard to upgrade laptops piece by piece due to propriety reasons by the manufacturer. People normally buy an entire laptop with an already built-in gaming video card...that will cost you easily $1000....I assembled my desktop for less than $500 and more powerful than a gaming laptop worth $1000 lol. So....I know there are ways to still upgrade laptops but I'm not familiar with that anymore...plus, it's hard to find retail stores that sell laptop parts...sorry I wasn't able to bring this up earlier.

This is non-issue in desktops, parts are everywhere, and assembly is literally like playing Lego

Awww! but thanks for all the info!
SOOO, In conclusion, if I play GW2 on Intel HD 4000 it is basically impossible to fight in most battles... Aaaand, if I want to play GW2 by upgrading system it would be better off making a whole new computer...
Therefore, I shouldn't buy GW2 because I can't spend $500.
Is this correct?

[zeusabe]

If you run it in the lowest setting, according to that article...it should give you 37 FPS give or take...For me, 25-30 FPS is playable although you will not enjoy full potential of the graphics. You can probably still play through the open world, dungeon, and structured PvP which is probably more than half of what GW2 has to offer. What you cannot enjoy and most likely will become unplayable to you, with that level of FPS, is World vs. World PVP. This World vs. World PVP is basically an all out war between servers (500 v 500 v 500) people more or less, this occurs in a separate realm from PvE content as if it's a totally new game within the game (although your stats and gears from PvE carry over to World vs World).

So in summary, I still think you can play most part of the game maybe around 70-80% (if you're not really particular with graphics not being optimal) except for World vs World. Decisions decisions

PS: Yup, it's better to assemble a desktop than to upgrade a laptop, you'll need roughly $500 to build a good gaming desktop versus $1000+ for a gaming laptop. You can still buy GW2, but given those limitations.

[Thelastblink]

If you run it in the lowest setting, according to that article...it should give you 37 FPS give or take...For me, 25-30 FPS is playable although you will not enjoy full potential of the graphics. You can probably still play through the open world, dungeon, and structured PvP which is probably more than half of what GW2 has to offer. What you cannot enjoy and most likely will become unplayable to you, with that level of FPS, is World vs. World PVP. This World vs. World PVP is basically an all out war between servers (500 v 500 v 500) people more or less, this occurs in a separate realm from PvE content as if it's a totally new game within the game (although your stats and gears from PvE carry over to World vs World).

So in summary, I still think you can play most part of the game maybe around 70-80% (if you're not really particular with graphics not being optimal) except for World vs World. Decisions decisions

PS: Yup, it's better to assemble a desktop than to upgrade a laptop, you'll need roughly $500 to build a good gaming desktop versus $1000+ for a gaming laptop. You can still buy GW2, but given those limitations.

Thank you!
Do you recommend me buying it? I will probably not play much maybe 2 hours a week? Or maybe 4 hours.
Last question! Will GW2 reduce the life of my laptop?

[zeusabe]

Thank you!
Do you recommend me buying it? I will probably not play much maybe 2 hours a week? Or maybe 4 hours.
Last question! Will GW2 reduce the life of my laptop?

I would definitely recommend you to buy it. I think even with those limitations, the game is still very attractive. Nope, it will not reduce your laptop's life any more than your usual wear and tear from any application, unless there's overheating that will damage the hardware, which sounds unlikely considering you're only planning to play very hours

[Thelastblink]

I would definitely recommend you to buy it. I think even with those limitations, the game is still very attractive. Nope, it will not reduce your laptop's life any more than your usual wear and tear from any application, unless there's overheating that will damage the hardware, which sounds unlikely considering you're only planning to play very hours

WOOOHOO! YAY! Thanks for the information EVERYONE!
Also, on the site there was deluxe, collectors etc. editions OO which one do I get?

[zeusabe]

Here's an example of how things can get pretty stressing for your Video Card and CPU in World vs. World PvP. Provided some photos, just randomly took this, no events, not even organized, just some random people congregating at one spot:

We're about 15 players in this screen, very little stress, at this rate...I'm getting around 45 FPS from my computer, smooth:


I'm with around 20-25 players in this screen, moderate stress, I'm doing 38-40 FPS at this point...still smooth


Here, there's also around 20-25 players in my screen, but there are several huge mobs at the top of the staircase, they can't be seen because of the angle of my view, I'm doing 35 FPS. Still smooth.



Here, I'm involved in a skirmish between my server and another server somewhere in the battlefield (there are many like this going on simultaneously). This is easily 50+ players in one screen...some players cannot be seen in this angle because they're being covered by the terrain (kiting range), at this point, my FPS is around 30. Smooth with minor video stuttering.


If I'm in towns or dungeons with minimal traffic of mobs and players, my FPS is doing 60+.

Based on the benchmark that the article provided, If you're starting FPS will be 37 FPS in towns and dungeons...then that could easily go down very fast in World vs. World, just as how I showed you...BUT, that's only in World vs. World PVP...the rest of the game, you'll most likely maintain an above 30 FPS provided you're in the lowest setting of graphics World vs. World PVP is a separate realm, so you can avoid going there if you're having problems with FPS. Stick with PvE, dungeons, and structured PvP and avoid World PvP for now.

PS: I'm on HIGH setting, I can easily increase those FPS if I set it on LOW...I'm not using top of the line components, just average parts. But it's desktop, so it's cheaper You can achieve this in your gaming laptop, but you'll have to invest almost twice as I did.

[Thelastblink]

Here's an example of how things can get pretty stressing for your Video Card and CPU in World vs. World PvP. Provided some photos, just randomly took this, no events, not even organized, just some random people congregating at one spot:

We're about 15 players in this screen, very little stress, at this rate...I'm getting around 45 FPS from my computer, smooth:


I'm with around 20-25 players in this screen, moderate stress, I'm doing 38-40 FPS at this point...still smooth


Here, there's also around 20-25 players in my screen, but there are several huge mobs at the top of the staircase, they can't be seen because of the angle of my view, I'm doing 35 FPS. Still smooth.



Here, I'm involved in a skirmish between my server and another server somewhere in the battlefield (there are many like this going on simultaneously). This is easily 50+ players in one screen...some players cannot be seen in this angle because they're being covered by the terrain (kiting range), at this point, my FPS is around 30. Smooth with minor video stuttering.


If I'm in towns or dungeons with minimal traffic of mobs and players, my FPS is doing 60+.

Based on the benchmark that the article provided, If you're starting FPS will be 37 FPS in towns and dungeons...then that could easily go down very fast in World vs. World, just as how I showed you...BUT, that's only in World vs. World PVP...the rest of the game, you'll most likely maintain an above 30 FPS provided you're in the lowest setting of graphics World vs. World PVP is a separate realm, so you can avoid going there if you're having problems with FPS. Stick with PvE, dungeons, and structured PvP and avoid World PvP for now.

PS: I'm on HIGH setting, I can easily increase those FPS if I set it on LOW...I'm not using top of the line components, just average parts. But it's desktop, so it's cheaper You can achieve this in your gaming laptop, but you'll have to invest almost twice as I did.

So you mean that I can play all of the game except World vs World smoothly with minor stuttering if I place it on all low settings?