The Lincolncast, Episode 14: Olympic Edition

Hey guys!

For those who don't know, this is the Giant Bomb community's Guild Wars 2 podcast (made by our guild, Lincoln Force). We get competitive in this week's show, talking about our experiences in BWE3 including how Dourin and I got won over by Structured PvP, my recent financial investments to make me an "expert MMO gamer" and finishing off with how "Asurable" the Asura are and how easily a particular Fire Elemental totally stomps them.

Also, subscribe to the show!

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Show Notes

Intro music: "The Pentagon" by The Hamster Alliance

Featured Members:@selfconfessedcynic , @No0b0rAmA , @Dourin , @Rawson , @Tarkhein

Run time: 2:36:55

Topics for the week:

• The Olympics are on!? Rihanna is in Saints Row 3!? and other off topic stuff for about 20 mins (so back to the usual)
• We do PvP impressions FIRST this week - crazy, huh?
• Oh, and we like it
• I talk about my keybindings vision-quest, then join Dourin in plugging products by a company we are in no way associated with. No, really.
• The Sylvari are pretty cool guys - but not Asurable.
• Asurable? Adorable + Asura. I hate myself and everything to do with this show (mostly @ZoomyRamen though).
• We end the show after chatting about the difficulty of bosses in GW2 - including my experiences with two of the new zone bosses.

Plugs!

• Watch Episode 13 (our live stream archive) below or on http://www.youtube.com/TheLincolncast
• Check out Dourin's gaming coverage at http://www.twitch.tv/Dourin
• Check out the Giant Bomb PC Gaming Hub including their mumble server which Noob pretty much lives on at http://www.giantbomb.com/pc/60-94/pc-gaming-hub-lets-play-games-together/35-554129/

Enjoy! Also, feel free to leave some criticism or feedback - TheLincolncast@gmail.com or @TheLincolncast on Twitter.

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Lincolncast Live! BWE #3 AKA Episode 13

Good timing, I needed something to listen to. I haven't started listening yet, but I hope Noob regales you guys with how we talked with Randy Knapp and another ArenaNet employee on mumble (I missed the second guy). I just know he would embellish it so well.

Havn't listened yet and just going off the title, but man the Olympics are lame. And I am a sports fan.

@Subjugation: Hell yeah I do!

@Subjugation: Oh, if you want something pretty cool, check out this

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/b/325740823

and this

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/b/325754190

Tis an 8 hour+ stream of an Arenanet Quality Assurance tester (in the combat / skills / balance department) doing some sPvP. Hint: He's pretty fucking good, and he commentates / answers questions the whole time.

@shinboy630: Fuck yeah it is!

@shinboy630: But speed walking...

Lincoln Force - "Everyone's welcome, but only dicks will stay." ™

@Subjugation said:

Lincoln Force - "Everyone's welcome, but only dicks will stay." ™

Sigh.

Well, I guess we should just run with it huh?

Oh man, I totally want to sword fight Hitler.

Playing a Mesmer (class that uses f1-4) I use Q, shift + Q, ctrl + Q, alt + Q for F1 through F4 respectively. I understand it's kinda crazy and even I will probably change it at release but it's similar to my wow setup I used with warrior stance dancing so it's sort of second nature anyway.

Then I have Z,X,C,E,R and shift + E that correspond to 0,6,8,7,5, 9 respectively. It's the same for every profession and it means x is always heal, z is always my elite and again it's very similar to my wow setup (as a paladin x was flash heal) one of the buttons on my g500 is bound to 1 and the other is the 'look behind' function.

I guess I've built my key binds entirely around muscle memory that still remains even though I haven't played wow in years so it works really well for me. Key binding everything is vital and you really can't afford to waste time clicking abilities.

Even with just a standard keyboard and mouse setup I'd still say you can be just as competitive as anyone with a fancy mouse with hella buttons if you bind everything close to your left hand.

I played with just the standard key binds for all the BWE, but I might experiment after launch on some alternatives. I'm thinking 1-5, then shift + 1-5. Might not be as efficient as some, but I don't like using non number keys for skills.

Also, I just googled claw grip. HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU USE A MOUSE LIKE THAT, IT LOOKS SO UNCOMFORTABLE?!

ASURABLE

@ZoomyRamen: Anornable?

I would have to be on the keyboard and mouse side here. I have used a couple different peripherals and always come back kb/m. To fix your F key problem just simply rebind them. That's what I did. Also I hardly ever move with my keyboard, all movement is done with my mouse. I do have a gaming mouse but it's not one with the ungodly amount of buttons.

I think you guys are exaggerating about the importance of an MMO/Nostromo/other things. I just have a regular ass m/kb and could probably smoke most people in 1v1 (assuming builds are balanced and whatnot). This is probably because I've gotten used to it after years of MMO gaming without "MMO gear". If you are used to your setup, it does not matter what that set up is, you will play well with it.

I can't remember who said it now, but someone said on the podcast that the implication isn't that you can't play without these things but rather that they are most definitely beneficial. Even after a few months, I'm still getting getting used to my naga but I can already tell the benefit is there. The only complaint I have about it is that while I don't mind the blue lighting, the led that lights the numbers and scroll wheel creates an uncomfortable warmth that can lead to palm sweat-age. Also, the 10-12 buttons have to be pressed with my thumb knuckle which I'm still getting used to. Other than those things I am really enjoying using it in all of my games.

Don't know about you guys but I wouldn't mind getting this one, seems like it would be really beneficial.

http://drh1.img.digitalriver.com/DRHM/Storefront/Company/razerusa/images/product/gallery/razer-naga-hex-gallery5.jpg

I agree 100% about the light armour. I plan on rolling a dagger elementalist, and having a skirt just doesn’t fit a character who’s going to be rolling around up in people’s faces.

Also, Rawson’s right. Asura suck. They look great with afros though.

@Maystack said:

Also, Rawson’s right. Asura suck.

QFT

I think the only thing I hate more than the Asura are the people that do nothing but talk about how cute they are. Not gonna name any names..... *cough* @selfconfessedcynic *cough*

How you fix the light armor hate... Roll a female.

@Dark_Lord_Spam: If I'm on the next podcast I will discuss this new word with everyone. I for one, love it.

Asura are horrible little monsters. They're like mutated Ferengi, and their rows of sharp pointy teeth freak me out.

I can see the Asura being the subject of a movie a la Gremlins or Critters.

Really enjoying listening to you guys while I work. I don't want to look at the videos to spoil the game, but I still want to know how stuff works, so the podcast is excellent! Keep up the good work!

@Rawson: THEY ARE ASURABLE.

GW2 key binding is relatively easy compared to most MMOs just in terms of the amount of skills you are using. I have a mouse with only 2 extra buttons (Logitech g400) and playing a class with only 1 special (F1 rebound to R) skill I don't even need shift modifiers.

Also, FUCK LU BU. Unless you are playing as Lu Bu, in which case FUCK YES LU BU!

And fuck Arenanet. I decided to pick up GW1 for the sake of seeing some of the story stuff for myself and maybe getting into the sweet sweet HoM action. 40 hours in and I've gained 0 points so far.

@Giefcookie: This is my Hall of Monuments rewards page. All of the cheapest soloable and fastest points are the ones I got. It's probably wise to complete nightfall and factions with all master's rewards first, then start gathering up heroes & hero armor, perhaps some weapons etc. Have you got a 7 hero build sorted and all of that yet? You can faceroll almost everything with 7 heroes and a few specific builds.

Ah, I missed out on the last one I believe and am so glad to see that there is an iTunes link there! Now I can just load up iTunes and have all my pod-casts delivered to me regardless of how much I check Giantbomb at any given time :D

@shinboy630: What's wrong with them? I'm not going to engulf you in flames about talking about how cute they are, but seriously what is wrong with them?

EDIT: For iTune's users, make sure you search "Lincolncast" and not "Lincoln cast." I know that may seem common sense, but I thought I would just put it out there.

@ck1nd: I personally think they are kind of ugly. Mostly though, their attitude is what bothers me. They are obnoxious assholes! I hate the type of people that are good at something (in this case they are really smart) and know it, and that is pretty much the perfect description of the Asura. It's cool that you are really smart and all, but I don't need to hear it every 2 seconds. Their starter area was pretty well done, though.

@Rawson said:

Asura are horrible little monsters. They're like mutated Ferengi, and their rows of sharp pointy teeth freak me out.

I can see the Asura being the subject of a movie a la Gremlins or Critters.

That's actually my favorite thing about them. I was laughing my ass off reading the responses to asura character creation of some of the people who were either fawning over or ridiculing their "cuteness." They were all fucking horrified at the grimacing faces and shark teeth. Just imagine an insane asura tearing open a norn's stomach and diving in to feed.

@shinboy630 said:

@ck1nd: I personally think they are kind of ugly. Mostly though, their attitude is what bothers me. They are obnoxious assholes! I hate the type of people that are good at something (in this case they are really smart) and know it, and that is pretty much the perfect description of the Asura. It's cool that you are really smart and all, but I don't need to hear it every 2 seconds. Their starter area was pretty well done, though.

I hope there's some subtlety there. When you meet Vekk in EotN, he's just a shitty, narcissistic asshole. Then you find out he's actually one of the more tolerant ones, and he has an inferiority complex because of his relationship with his father. The conclusion of the asura story in that game was one of the few emotionally resonant sequences in all of GW1.

Now I know why I kept changing targets in sPvP. Thanks fo the settings tip.

@shinboy630: Ah, that makes some sense. I haven't had the opportunity to involve myself in the Guildwars 2 BWE's, so I'm sure I'll understand as soon as I jump in :P

@Dark_Lord_Spam said:

@Rawson said:

Asura are horrible little monsters. They're like mutated Ferengi, and their rows of sharp pointy teeth freak me out.

I can see the Asura being the subject of a movie a la Gremlins or Critters.

That's actually my favorite thing about them. I was laughing my ass off reading the responses to asura character creation of some of the people who were either fawning over or ridiculing their "cuteness." They were all fucking horrified at the grimacing faces and shark teeth. Just imagine an insane asura tearing open a norn's stomach and diving in to feed.

That's just the problem, though. I can imagine those little fuckers chasing me down in the middle of the night and biting me. No single bite really does very much damage in the "I'm gonna die" sense, so it's more like a death by a thousand cuts situation. Eventually the blood loss, pain, and exhaustion gets to me, I stumble and fall, and then the Asura begin to feed while I'm still alive and breathing.

Ok finally made it all the way through. @selfconfessedcynic you mentioned that you got loot from the fire elemental. I'm not buying it because I'm pretty sure that he does not spawn a chest. I killed him as well and did not get any sort of chest or loot. I'm pretty sure here is just part of a larger puzzle in that area, as laid out in this video.

To those who responded - yup, as Dourin said on the show you don't need an MMO peripheral to be competitive - I just think it really really helps. (eg the Anet devs don't use them and we can see how good they are)

@shinboy630: Hah - myself, Murderbow and 3 others can confirm that there is loot. I am sorry to not really remember who because it was just me and Murder on voice (I think the others were there but not talking).

He didn't spawn a chest, there was just this random lump of yellow stuff like a scepter's range away from where he was (so weirdly distant) which you had to walk up to and it prompted the F key. Murderbow found it - wouldn't have known without him.

@selfconfessedcynic: Oh ok, that explains why I did not find anything. Still odd that they don't just spawn a chest, or at least have it drop at his "center" location. I still think it is cool that killing him is only part of a larger puzzle though.

@shinboy630: I didn't even know about the puzzle >_> we just kindof killed him and walked off.

I was listening to the most recent episode of Tales of Tyria and they mentioned that the Commander Icon only shows up for 10 people per team so you could buy one but if you aren't one of the 10 officers or however the figure it out you won't be shown with the icon.

Dourin, myself, and Siegs all tried the ice room of Thaumanova a few times as well as the actual fire elemental itself. The elemental absolutely wiped the floor with us in a matter of moments. After seeing the video Shin linked, I didn't even realize that there was a room for each element. I think we just cut our exploring short after the ice room because it was so maddening. I guess that's a good thing too considering I don't think any of us had that key the device at the end requires. That looks like a pretty cool event now that I know that actual extent of it.

A pretty good episode, but i frowned at the moba talk. I'll restrain myself from explaining the standard moba map thing.

@Tobli: Oh trust me, I absolutely don't consider myself an authority on mobas. But yeah, I totally get why there's just the one map, or why that's become the standard over time. I think it's the same idea as to why everybody is bumped up to the same level, stats, and gear in GW2's sPvP. As @shinboy630 pointed out, it's probably so that victory is based as much on player skill as possible.

That said, I think it wouldn't hurt to maybe have a few different tilesets available to play on that all follow that same exact setup, just to change things up visually.

I love you guys. One of my favourite podcasts, and easily my favourite Guild Wars 2 podcast (Guildcast is pretty darn good too though).

@project343: Why thank you!

Personally I'm excited by where the PvP podcasts are going - Buildcast and Stompcast are where it's AT.

@selfconfessedcynic: Buildcast had a bit of a rough first episode. I think they need some akamikeb in there. And I haven't enjoyed anything about the Stompcasts. :P

I think the Tales of Tyria PvP podcast will be pretty good when it gets started. I think those guys are some the most knowledgeable GW2 guys there are.

Can anyone link me to the endgame armors mentioned in the podcast?

@yyZiggurat: http://www.giantbomb.com/guild-wars-2/61-21223/all-dungeon-and-racial-sets-for-all-races/35-555104/#31

activate the "key pad" option on the naga epic and your 1,2,3,4 can instantly become f1...f4 that undeniably makes things easier