I participated in the opening event. Have done a few runs through the fractal dungeon with ad-hoc groups and have given the new sPvP map a try. Here are my thoughts.
1. The opening event was boring. The cut scene wasn’t long enough, it just should have felt like a beginning of something big and it did not. IMO very poorly implemented. Why not have something grand on the scale of our characters intro sequence (the one we all see after character creation), why can’t the event be properly introduced?
2. Fractal dungeon has promise, but the game’s you-never-have-to-team-up design continues to hurt even in dungeons where you actually do have to team up. Guildies are in other instances of LA, it’s easier to grab an ad-hoc group than work to team up with people you know. So I went ad-hoc and of course got a mixed bag. Team strategy is non-existant in this game so it is what it is. I ended up loosing about 16 silver on armor repairs. selling loot for about 10 silver so netting a loss of 6 silver in exchange for fractal tokens (whatever they are called, I can’t remember). IMO the dungeon should have had a much better cut-scene sequence introducing it and explaining all the details about its mechanics. Nothing released today can be called detail-oriented.
3. The new sPvP map is cool. I like the design. What I don’t like is that it continues to be part of the game dominated by Mesmers and Guardians. My level 80 main with 400+ hours of play is a Guardian and I still think it’s horrible that the balance on sPvP is still stuck here. I enjoyed trying out the new map and continue to hold hope for what sPvP will evolve into.
Coming out of a Halloween event that reminded me of how fun the game could be I have to say I am at this point just feeling more and more detached and disenchanted with GW2. It’s very easy for me to pin-point the problem with this game (for me). It is the same reason some call it a lonely MMO, it’s because it doesn’t require team play. Ever really. You work with people around you naturally and you don’t hate them because fighting them for anything, but since each profession is built for solo play you don’t need anyone else either. Having to depend on others creates a bond that is critical to the MMORPG experience. GW2 boast it’s no holy trinity as a major innovative feature, but unfortunately the flip side of that coin the hallow, soul less feel the game has. In dungeon where you do need others, it just feels awkward and no one wants to take the time to really coordinate. The game is kind of built so you don’t have to… what I shame.
I’ll sign in for tomorrows festivities by the end perhaps I’ll be singing a different toon, but so far I would say this event has been somewhat of a let down, perhaps more so the game itself is starting to feel like a big let down.
How many friends did I invite to try out the game? Zero, because I’m kind of ashamed of it still. My suggestion to ArenaNet: you need to reevaluate the fundamentals flaws in your design. Adding something between Exotics and Legendaries was a response to community demand. Great. These sort of things don’t fix the real problems of why people are leaving. They are leaving because your game just isn’t all that much fun after it’s done. Strategic team play is what forms bounds. Jim is a good healer he has my back! Mark is a great tank, etc… This isn’t a WoW vs GW2 argument it’s multi-player game design psychology. ArenaNet has a economist on board, perhaps they should hire a sociologist as well. I’ll make it simple. People are leaving in droves because there is no real bounds being formed with others making them what to sign back in. It’s a great game in so many ways, but this one little thing is actually a very, very big deal. You form bonds when you pull of strategic play in very desperate scenarios (like soldiers in trenches). In the game world when you don’t need people you really don’t care much about them.
(edited by SamTheGuardian.2938)