Guild Wars 2

I think it is clear that this game has a very severe lack of new content. The living story is ok and all but does not really add anything new to the game other than a new story mission that is completed in less than an hour along with some highly scripted and heavily planned small changes to the open world.
If ArenaNet intends to continue the Living Story then that’s great but I think the team that is focused on creating the so called feature packs should change their focus and look to the past for some direction.
The recent feature packs have also failed to add any meaningful content to the core gameplay of Guildwars 2.
My suggestion is that the next feature packs look to Guildwars 1 which was highly superior to Guildwars 2 in terms of new content addition.

http://guildwars.com/products/factions/default.php

http://guildwars.com/products/nightfall/default.php

http://guildwars.com/products/eyeofthenorth/default.php

Colin Johanson:

‘A feature release is not an expansion, it’s a release focused on game features. Examples of game features we’ve done in the past would be: guild missions, account achievement system, spectator mode, new pvp maps, daily world boss chests, removing culling and giving visibility options, the WvW WxP system, etc.’

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Expansion-sized-patch/first#post3748098

See also:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feature-Patch-Polish-not-content

Ghost.5296:

Colin Johanson:

‘A feature release is not an expansion, it’s a release focused on game features. Examples of game features we’ve done in the past would be: guild missions, account achievement system, spectator mode, new pvp maps, daily world boss chests, removing culling and giving visibility options, the WvW WxP system, etc.’

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Expansion-sized-patch/first#post3748098

See also:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feature-Patch-Polish-not-content

I’m not referring to what they said feature packs will be. I am suggesting that ArenaNet completely changes the current objective of the feature packs team in order to add to the core of the game.

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

sonicwhip.9052:

Ghost.5296:

Colin Johanson:

‘A feature release is not an expansion, it’s a release focused on game features. Examples of game features we’ve done in the past would be: guild missions, account achievement system, spectator mode, new pvp maps, daily world boss chests, removing culling and giving visibility options, the WvW WxP system, etc.’

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Expansion-sized-patch/first#post3748098

See also:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feature-Patch-Polish-not-content

I’m not referring to what they said feature packs will be. I am suggesting that ArenaNet completely changes the current objective of the feature packs team in order to add to the core of the game.

Drink 1 will be milk. Drink 2 will be water.
You’re saying, “But I want drink 2 to be milk, too!”

Content patches are different from feature patches in the same way that milk is different from water.

I mean, by all means, say you want more milk. But don’t say that water should be milk. The argument you’re making is inherently flawed. Say, “Stop working on features to work on content,” or “Give us more content patches instead of feature patches.” But when you say that feature patches should have more content, it just sounds like you don’t know what a feature patch actually is.

The dude makes a mistake on terminology. Let it go already. Which is quite understandable since typically he would be correct, it’s just Anet distinguish between content and feature patch.

It’s quite clear he means “patch or future patch” and he just misused “feature patch”.

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

Citation needed for the opinions stated as facts in this post.

So this is just a stealth expansion thread, then.

Astraea.6075:

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

Citation needed for the opinions stated as facts in this post.

I am sure he could have have put an IMO in there somewhere, I too thinks the actual content of these patches are lacking. I want the last two professions to be implemented already, with or without precursors is fine just add them. I want to see more meaningful changes to WvW, not only just PvP. I want to see rebuilding being done in LA and possibly Kessex Hills too.

Not once did I speak for the majority here, but IMO many would like to see these changes implemented also; I know many in my guild would.

sonicwhip.9052:

Ghost.5296:

Colin Johanson:

‘A feature release is not an expansion, it’s a release focused on game features. Examples of game features we’ve done in the past would be: guild missions, account achievement system, spectator mode, new pvp maps, daily world boss chests, removing culling and giving visibility options, the WvW WxP system, etc.’

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Expansion-sized-patch/first#post3748098

See also:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Feature-Patch-Polish-not-content

I’m not referring to what they said feature packs will be. I am suggesting that ArenaNet completely changes the current objective of the feature packs team in order to add to the core of the game.

they do this by living story. now had you said additional weapons or something like that, that’d be a feature pack. there are some living story content updates that introduced things that no one does anymore, and there are others that people do all the time(tequatl, wurms)

Tommyknocker.6089:

Astraea.6075:

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

Citation needed for the opinions stated as facts in this post.

I am sure he could have have put an IMO in there somewhere, I too thinks the actual content of these patches are lacking. I want the last two professions to be implemented already, with or without precursors is fine just add them. I want to see more meaningful changes to WvW, not only just PvP. I want to see rebuilding being done in LA and possibly Kessex Hills too.

Not once did I speak for the majority here, but IMO many would like to see these changes implemented also; I know many in my guild would.

Just curious…what are the ‘last two professions’?

Ohhh! Maybe you are referring to Crafting Disciplines? Since you mentioned Precursors in the same sentence? Never mind, then.

Feature Pack != Content, it is in some ways new content yes, but it’s more about polishing/redesign/revamping/re-structuring. It has been common knowledge since the very first FP.

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

Or so you say. Except there’s no real evidence of this. I wonder how many players think there’s too much to do? Or not enough time to do everything they want.

I say just stop logging into the game. If ANet keeps going down the path and nobody’s left doing content making it drab with the same people every time, the memo will hit their financial statement soon enough.

Feature Packs contain mainly things that can’t be integrated into the story of LW in a plausible way. These things are QOL features or changes/additions to WvW or sPvP. New PvP maps or modes for example I personally would put into the Feature Pack and not into the LW episodes.

Let’s push all features into Living Story releases, and all content into Feature Packs!

Makes perfect sense, yes.

Also, although they’ve named content “Living Story chapters”, each new chapter does add other stuff besides cutscenes and story-telling. Dry Top and Silverwastes were examples, along with new items. Of course I feel they should add more skills, but that would touch sPvP and meh.

Factions was released almost 2 years after the original Guild Wars.
Its now been 2 years GW2.

Stop being impatient.

Kitten I have had enough of this kitten subject.

It always amuses me to see how many people are playing and enjoying the game compared to how few people voice their opinions on these forums — and how people say that “everybody” agrees that the game is bad and all that yada-yada.

Perfect example of what a “vocal minority” is.

You know….people always compare Guild Wars 2 to Guild Wars for content release.

Guild Wars is still up and running. Several posters say they play it to this day.

It’s been out for almost 10 years, and has had 3 major updates/campaigns/expansions/whatever you want to call them. In 10 years. Sure, they were fast and furious in the beginning, but then….

I wonder what Guild Wars 2 track record will look like at 10 years. Maybe 1 major update/expansion/whatever for every 3.3 years, as well? Who knows? Maybe even more! It could happen…=).

But, Feature Packs should concentrate on features, or we should go back to the way it was before…when releases had both. Just like Dec. 2nd’s release will be. Might be a portend of things to come!

But… wouldn’t that make it… a content pack?

Feature Packs should be more BUILD TEMPLATE SAVING SYSTEM focused.

That is all.

With the current season only releasing Living Story patches and then feature patches. My biggest question is when do we get the next fractal patch. Or another non LS related content patch. Because only doing features and LS means they have essentially abandoned everything else.

Where do these content patches fit in in the current release schedule. And will we see them at all?

flyingcats.6194:

It always amuses me to see how many people are playing and enjoying the game compared to how few people voice their opinions on these forums — and how people say that “everybody” agrees that the game is bad and all that yada-yada.

Perfect example of what a “vocal minority” is.

Given the amount of people who have quit over time, vocal minority doesn’t really fit the bill. ANet focuses more on new player retention, rather than player longevity. It’s always seemed that way throughout GW2 and the NPE confirmed it. Take into account the circumstantial evidence and there isn’t a vocal minority or dominant group.

But the new zones are actually new zones, not just Living Story. You can run Orr without doing the personal story. No one claims Orr is the personal story, even though it very much centers around what’s going on in the personal story.

It’s the same with Drytop and the Silverwastes. They’re zones with events, things you can craft, areas you can explore, achievements you can get…all of which having nothing to do with the living story except as a setting.

I don’t know why people talk about Living Story and completely ignore the fact that there are two new zones.

Vayne.8563:

But the new zones are actually new zones, not just Living Story. You can run Orr without doing the personal story. No one claims Orr is the personal story, even though it very much centers around what’s going on in the personal story. Currently the LW is very story-heavy. Therefore LW and LS feel in several episodes very much the same.

It’s the same with Drytop and the Silverwastes. They’re zones with events, things you can craft, areas you can explore, achievements you can get…all of which having nothing to do with the living story except as a setting.

I don’t know why people talk about Living Story and completely ignore the fact that there are two new zones.

This is the reason why we should distinguish between Living World and Living Story. Living Story consists of the core story mainly found in the story instances. LS is therefore a very far evolved PS. Living World in contrast is the story plus the “stage” where the story takes place.

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Goose.5196:

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Wow. Do you have a link showing the current playerbase numbers, and who has left, who hasn’t and how often they play? I’d be very interested in seeing these numbers!

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Goose.5196:

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Wow. Do you have a link showing the current playerbase numbers, and who has left, who hasn’t and how often they play? I’d be very interested in seeing these numbers!

Google it.

Ha ha. Funny response.

Goose.5196:

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Goose.5196:

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Wow. Do you have a link showing the current playerbase numbers, and who has left, who hasn’t and how often they play? I’d be very interested in seeing these numbers!

Google it.

So in other words you can’t produce a link.

CMM.6712:

Goose.5196:

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Goose.5196:

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Wow. Do you have a link showing the current playerbase numbers, and who has left, who hasn’t and how often they play? I’d be very interested in seeing these numbers!

Google it.

So in other words you can’t produce a link.

https://www.google.com/

Ok, got it and what search terms do I need to look for?

Isn’t it better to just link to the website or whatever that shows that raw data?

So we had those two feature patches, but I am still waiting on a content patch. Anyone got an idea when we get the first one?

Kaiyanwan.8521:

So we had those two feature patches, but I am still waiting on a content patch. Anyone got an idea when we get the first one?

LS patches are supposed to be viewed as content patches because they add more than story despite the name.

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

The absolute tiny minority is those here in the forums. Posts like these are what make the developers not take the forums seriously.

Gnat.9405:

Goose.5196:

Everyone, except for the absolutely tiny minority of players who are happy with the objectively lethargic output of content by ANet, agrees with you.

The absolute tiny minority is those here in the forums. Posts like these are what make the developers not take the forums seriously.

But they took the metrics seriously instead of the players, and what did we get, the NPE, often seen as the greatest waste of DEV time and company money since the NGE (SWG), with the same destructive potential.

ANet should start listening to their players, they might know what they want better than some excel sheet…

sonicwhip.9052:

If ArenaNet intends to continue the Living Story then that’s great but I think the team that is focused on creating the so called feature packs should change their focus and look to the past for some direction.

- Let me get this straight. The people who created Guild Wars are not the same as the people who created Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet was founded by Mike O’Brien, Jeff Strain and Patrick Wyatt. The latter two have left the company in 2009.

spoj.9672:

With the current season only releasing Living Story patches and then feature patches. My biggest question is when do we get the next fractal patch. Or another non LS related content patch. Because only doing features and LS means they have essentially abandoned everything else.

Where do these content patches fit in in the current release schedule. And will we see them at all?

They can easily fit WvW, Fractal and dungeon releases into the LS releases. Every time we have had a major release for any of those it has been tied to a LS episode.

Fractals could for example rather easily fit in with either finding Rytlock (or if he gets back before) investigate what he found in the Mists and so on.

lordkrall.7241:

spoj.9672:

With the current season only releasing Living Story patches and then feature patches. My biggest question is when do we get the next fractal patch. Or another non LS related content patch. Because only doing features and LS means they have essentially abandoned everything else.

Where do these content patches fit in in the current release schedule. And will we see them at all?

They can easily fit WvW, Fractal and dungeon releases into the LS releases. Every time we have had a major release for any of those it has been tied to a LS episode.

Fractals could for example rather easily fit in with either finding Rytlock (or if he gets back before) investigate what he found in the Mists and so on.

No they only did that for season 1. They’ve changed their scheduling. LS releases are strictly the story episodes and any map content to go with it now. Before they were releasing content/event patches inbetween LS releases and they were loosely tied to LS at best. So fractals, wvw, pvp and dungeons would not fit into the new system now that they are doing things differently. At least not very well unless they plan to do a much larger LS patch.

I want to know if future feature packs are going to be a bit more content orientated to make up for them no longer doing adhoc content patches between LS patches like they did in season 1.

How was it loosely tied?
Fractals: Direct result of the election made in Season 1, also directly tied into the story of the main villain.

WvW: Main villains allies ran into the Mists and tried to establish a base there, we followed into the Edge of the Mists.

Dungeon: Main enemy have a secret base of operations/factory hidden in a dungeon, we head in to investigate.

How is those things loosely tied to the LS?

It is fully possible to do the exact same kind of connections in Season 2.

Keep in mind that we are getting a somewhat big PvP patch next week, which is also a Living Story Patch.

Goose.5196:

CMM.6712:

Goose.5196:

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Goose.5196:

Over 70% of veteran players (those who started playing this game at launch) have moved on to new games or reverted back to older MMOs which still dish out more content. It is only a very small group of people who are actually content with the progress of LS. Everyone knows that for an MMO to be good, it must continue to grow in the amount of content it provides. This is fact. Otherwise, it is simply a single player game with multiplayer features.

Wow. Do you have a link showing the current playerbase numbers, and who has left, who hasn’t and how often they play? I’d be very interested in seeing these numbers!

Google it.

So in other words you can’t produce a link.

https://www.google.com/

“Ok, Google. Show me the location that Goose is pulling his imaginary figures from.”
ding

I’ll leave the rest to you.

Vayne.8563:

But the new zones are actually new zones, not just Living Story. You can run Orr without doing the personal story. No one claims Orr is the personal story, even though it very much centers around what’s going on in the personal story.

It’s the same with Drytop and the Silverwastes. They’re zones with events, things you can craft, areas you can explore, achievements you can get…all of which having nothing to do with the living story except as a setting.

I don’t know why people talk about Living Story and completely ignore the fact that there are two new zones.

I think’s its more the fact that it’s ONLY been two zones so far. And to also respond to your first post; having too much to do to me is not so much an indication of amount of content but more so how the content is laid out for the player. E.g. the last two LS backpieces had alot of content centered around the process of getting everything together to craft one. If they add many things like that people might feel overwhelmed yes. However, the content most people wanna see is: new race/class, new zones the way WoW does it (seven in one expansion), more frequent and filled content patches between every expansion (also like wow does) new content patches should add 1 new fractal, 1 dungeon/path, new open world or instanced bosses, new story and a new zone or part of a new zone unlocked. Anet has done/does some of these things occasionally, but there is no pattern in it. Other things we wanna see are new weapons, new skills, new or more traits, a large bundle of new skins/legendaries, precursor crafting/questing and prolly many other things I forgot. There is a severe lack of content in that regard. The hardcore players will consume the content too fast regardless of how much content there is but I’m pretty sure we’d see alot less threads complaining about lack of content if they did it more like other MMO’s. There are basically 3 groups in any MMO; Casual (play like a couple hours a week) Semi-Casual (play every day) Hardcore (play several hours every day). I’d argue the middle group is the largest and there are lots of people from that group complaining right now. I’m pretty sure they will stop complaining once they get going with a more filled content schedule and then all we will have is a very small hardcore minority complaining.

lordkrall.7241:

How was it loosely tied?
Fractals: Direct result of the election made in Season 1, also directly tied into the story of the main villain.

WvW: Main villains allies ran into the Mists and tried to establish a base there, we followed into the Edge of the Mists.

Dungeon: Main enemy have a secret base of operations/factory hidden in a dungeon, we head in to investigate.

How is those things loosely tied to the LS?

It is fully possible to do the exact same kind of connections in Season 2.

Keep in mind that we are getting a somewhat big PvP patch next week, which is also a Living Story Patch.

Edge of the mists was completely unnecessary to the story. Fractals could of been a completely unrelated instance if the vote went different. It was a filler patch with a brief link to LS and didnt really add anything to the story. The dungeon was the only exception. Also i was thinking of things like Tequatl as well. Where it was tied into LS just to give them an excuse to upgrade a world boss. There was also countless festival and event patches inbetween. These arent happening anymore yet the LS releases are pretty small now. So how are we getting the big content updates in the future?

I can picture a new world boss at the end of the season. But where does everything else come in? Some of it wont tie into LS and I dont believe they should force everything to be released as part of LS either. To me WvW and fractal updates should be independant of LS. Just like feature patches are.

Anyway the current structure of this season suggests that we wont get those sort of big content updates during episode releases. Thats what i was getting it. Season 2 is almost over and we havent had any content outside of LS. So i think my assumption is fairly accurate so far.

I want to know when the next fractal patch is, with all the fixed rewards and higher difficulty scales. Im not trying to argue with you. But they’ve changed their release system for season 2 and they havent really explained how things have changed from last season.

My impression is that only the decimated LW team is working actively on season 2 whereas much more teams work on season 3 and 4. Season 2 was still needed to test the story journal and optimise it and the storytelling. Things like fractals have to come from teams other than the team for the core story.

I am still impressed that the small LW team could design two zones in adddition to the story instances. This seems to be the maximum that is currently possible without support by other teams.

Novuake.2691:

Factions was released almost 2 years after the original Guild Wars.
Its now been 2 years GW2.

Stop being impatient.

Kitten I have had enough of this kitten subject.

Be as unhappy as you want with other posters, but get your facts straight.

GW Prophecies: April 28, 2005
GW Factions: April 28, 2006 (1 year after launch)
GW Nightfall: October 27, 2006 (1.5 years after launch)
GW EotN: August 31, 2007 (2.33 years after launch)