Guild Wars 2

I invite you to read my article on the history of MMORPGs and video games. It is meant to inform especially for those that have come become MMO players after World of Warcraft.

http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/swordmark45/102012/24078

While your article is nice in theory... I feel you missed the real reason why people are confused about GW2 and why they just don’t care about their characters, story or the game world.

Personally, tho it seems that you’re talking about adjusting your point of view to see the game in a better light.

IE: To make GW2 seem more appealing.

On that note however, I would say that if you INSTEAD.. approach GW2 as a standard 60$ Action/Adventure Console game (Skyrim) w/online co-op ~ then you’ll be pretty satisfied with your purchase and how GW2 caters to that mindset.

IE: Get in, play.. get out, walk away and wait for the next batch of DLC (expansion).

However, if you approach GW2 as an MMO ~ odds are, you’ll be disappointed for several reasons.

Standardized Loot / Character Progression / Combat::
1. Everything is set up so, no one really ever feels powerful.
2. Lack of trinity means, you don’t need anyone and are not needed by anyone.

The staples of an MMO are designed around creating a community from the players and promoting them to work together. ~ in this aspect, GW2 fails as an MMO.

Granted people can argue, saying that GW2 is amazing and is better off without the Trinity and having to rely on other players.

They then point to Dynamic events and how you “need” other people to kill mobs like Balthazar, Dragons, ect…

But do you really? are the faceless masses anymore “personal” than having a bunch of henchmen NPC to help you finish the event?

Think about it ~ we don’t know the names of other people at those events, because we’re not there for them ~ we don’t need to talk, we don’t need to socialize or even organize ~ we only care about the “chance” at uber loot (perhaps the precursor?) and to farm Karma/Gold.

Since those bosses are nothing more than HP sponges that hit like trucks (no tactics) ~ people just sit back and spam, leaving the few people that agro the mob to be chased by him, while they take pot shots at it and if someone gets low on HP they throw down their AOE heals.

Basically, GW2 tries to mimic the Trinity without creating a “need” for people to do anything more than zerg the content.

This trivializes going back to old content while being "leveled down" in that you see no point as you could "experience" the same content at your own level and at least get appropriate gear/loot.

Even the dungeons are designed this way with their “Corpse run, waypoints”.

In all senses of the word “community” ~ it seems that GW2 fails.

This includes the free 24 hour server transfers that shred any hopes of a well built community as well at the ability to join multiple guilds, and yet refuse to put in a multi-chat for each of them, requiring you to “represent” one guild at a time, in order to talk to other members of that guild.

The same goes for World Vs World ~ you cannot see enemy players names.. and there are no scoreboards dedicated to the very skilled or elite of the "leaders" ~ in fact, if you wish to be a "leader" you need only spend 100 gold on a tome to become a commander, there are no other prerequisites or skill based requirements.

IE: No one knows who you are or why you’re deserving to be a "leader" ~ they only see an impersonal title.

When I talk to my friends of old, and why they use to play MUD’s, Asherons Call and Ultima Online ~ they always talk about the "community" and how back then, those games WERE Facebook. As in, a place for like minded people to gather, socialize and enjoy the craft.

GW2 doesn’t do that, and in my opinion is why WoW is still "king" ~ despite their outdated graphics and kung fu panda hijinks..

If you’ve ever heard someone shout "FOR THE HORDE!" ~ you can see without a shadow of a doubt that the game inspires and promotes a sense of community... for better or worse.

At the end of the day, can you really say that GW2 IS an MMO anymore than League of Legends, Team Fortress 2 or Playing Skyrim while talking to your friends on skype?

Well I see your arguments to a point. The main issue I get from your response, which I thank you for by the way, is the community issue.

Yes I do see that, but I feel it is due to WoW that this lack of community exists. Even though I noted you feel otherwise.

I was in MUDs and EQ. Community in those had a different dynamic to them. Especial the MUDs. In them the community was something that had to develop over time. By this I mean several months. I got into a really great friendship in the MUD I played to the point that my character married her character the last night she played the game to head off to collage.

The community is still in it infancy within this game to a large degree. Yes there are guilds that have come form other games and many are growing. Still there is community developing.

Yes at times when a large open event takes place people at this time do seem faceless to a degree, but that is normal. Not only in MUDs, MMORPGs, but also in real life.

Virtual worlds are just that. Worlds. Within all “worlds” be they in a game on a computer, your job, church, synagogue, neighborhood. For the longest time people are faceless for sometime. Then slowly they start to get a face. You start to notice them. You wave, say hi, maybe even become friends.

The standardized loot system I feel is a huge plus toward helping the community grow. It removed another of the many elements that were introduced in EQ, and then increased upon in WoW, that was helping to fracture communities into elites and noobies. Clicks have always been a problem as are gangs in many places within society. WoW and its clones encouraged this negative behavior.

I still feel and believe that GW2 is a step in the right direction. It is a renaissance to those games before WoW. I have read more then once people saying they feel they back to a time before WoW in this game. Usually in a negative fashion, but also in the positive.

All we can do is continue within this virtual world and see how it develops and grows. Remember it was only been out for 2 months as of day for the headstarters. Relationships, even in jobs take longer then that.

ah, np

You are right "building a community, takes time" ~ though.. I compared GW2 to console games for a reason. In that they go outta their way to trivalize everything that helps build said community.

Free 24 hour server transers, no names or ranks in WvW, no trinity or challenge in combat, corpse run waypoints in dungeons and standardize loot...

Do you know why people like League of Legends? why it’s considered the most popular online game? http://na.leagueoflegends.com/news/league-legends-community-infographic

It’s because people feel attached to their accounts.. that they build over time and that despite having only 1 tournament style map, 4 abilities and 2 spells ~ people feel like THEY matter, like without them, their team would fail and they too rely on others.

This is something a traditional MMO creates by utilizing the holy trinity ~ but GW2 threw that out the window in favor of "spam combat" where you knee-jerk your dps, dodge and heals to mobs that just soak up dmg and can one shot you.

The whole game is like that..

And with the only motivation being "playing dress up" via cosmetic (endgame) rewards.. people just don’t care to stay for very long.

basically, World of Warcraft is NOT to blame.. because really, us players do the same thing in every game we play.. including consoles, where most of us come from.

Ever heard of speed runs?.. yep, I can beat Legend of Zelda OoT in under 6 hours! ~ or how bout survival mode? where you face endless hordes of mobs.. for no other reason than to have a higher score than your friends and climb a leaderboard.

At the end of the day.. People like challenging content and will always try to rip through a game.. just to say they can ~ it’s up to the designers and game developers to curb that with in game mechanics that prevent or challenge players.. maybe even distract them temporarly.

But agian.. this is something GW2 has no interest in.

No matter how I look at it.. GW2 seems to be designed around the concept that it’s a standard $60 console game, where you dive in.. beat it, move on and wait for more DLC (expansions).

Which to me, is a step back from what an MMO is and represents ~ a Community.

Honestly, I’m not sure why they just don’t move this to General Discussion… seems a lot of people want to like GW2 but can’t figure out why they don’t wanna log in.

IE: Treating GW2 like an MMO instead of a Skyrim w/co-op.

Been through it before… I posted another of my blog entries in GD and it got moved here. So this time went straight to this forum