Guild Wars 2

Would ArenaNet be open to players helping to fund a specific module of the game? Either by a crowdfunding project or perhaps by an in-game item purchase?

I am not an active player of the game presently. I do however have some disposable income that I would be happy to give to the GW2 WvW cause — specifically. “Module funding” so to speak. I want to support the development of WvW just as I am supporting Camelot Unchained for similar reasons.

But I don’t want to play the game in its current state. I’ve grown tired of EBG and hate the desert borderlands. (My choice and opinion, mind you. I don’t speak for others of course.) I don’t do PvE or PvP. Therefore right now I check periodically to see how the progress goes .. and I wonder if the budget is there for radical change (or fix or rollback or whatever your goal may be)?

I like the in-game item idea because we can easily support an existing or future module with a few clicks. The in-game item has no value to the player — that is, there is no reward or guarantees. And since it’s crowdfunding, we know that we are gambling with trust. In return you would provide more regular updates to said module. Be it by email, or special forum, etc.

Right now I’m guessing a small percentage of players who have disposable income but have no need for Gem store items .. may increase your budget without any need for reward other than your voice and updates — which you do, but we ask for more frequency.

Perhaps a poll sent via email to active and inactive players would shine some light on the idea?

Anet should work to make all game mode better and player should not have to give extra money to Anet for it. Sale of game, expansion and gem should be enough to Anet make entire game better.

I know I’d back a kickstarter to finish the music system in GW2.

What an idea in a buy-to-play-environment… sigh

If you want to fund them, use your effin credit-card.

I try to. I’ve bough almost every armor skin set to ever appear in the gem store and not a single outfit ever.

But I’d consider paying for music kits and cheerfully put up gems in a kickstarter for some sort of “Add 30 Dynamic Events to Zone X” project. I am a big fan of adding more depth to existing maps through more DE’s.

Think of it more as paying for the restaurant to improve their current menu. Restaurant opens 3 years ago.

I came into this restaurant long ago knowing what the chef was capable of doing before. I liked the taste of some menu items, didn’t like the others. The other customers at the restaurant added suggestions for the chef to change up some things. The beef was too dry. The chicken was too good. The soup needed salt, etc. The dessert was incomplete.

The chef listened at first but now we see other dishes come out instead of the improvements to the ones we like.

We now propose to the chef that we would be willing to pay him to fix the dishes we like in addition to whatever we pay for the current versions. How does the chef respond? we don’t know yet.

You’re perfectly in your rights to go to another restaurant. I personally like the taste of the chicken at this one and would like to see them finish the dessert to the point where I would be willing to pay them to do it.

Nike.2631:

I try to. I’ve bough almost every armor skin set to ever appear in the gem store and not a single outfit ever.

But I’d consider paying for music kits and cheerfully put up gems in a kickstarter for some sort of “Add 30 Dynamic Events to Zone X” project. I am a big fan of adding more depth to existing maps through more DE’s.

I know the procedure of “buy questpack x for region y” from Lord of the Rings Online, when they went F2P and it made the game even worse still. We already paid for the expansion and if they decide to add a specific number of DE to an otherwise sparsely supplied area (which I can’t even think of right now), then it’s not something, I would like to spend any additional money on. But, then again, I don’t buy season passes for other games or DLC that only adds what should have been there from the very start.

I think, I object the idea to fund thinkgs we like in a buy-2-play game.

lioka qiao.8734:

Think of it more as paying for the restaurant to improve their current menu. Restaurant opens 3 years ago.

I came into this restaurant long ago knowing what the chef was capable of doing before. I liked the taste of some menu items, didn’t like the others. The other customers at the restaurant added suggestions for the chef to change up some things. The beef was too dry. The chicken was too good. The soup needed salt, etc. The dessert was incomplete.

The chef listened at first but now we see other dishes come out instead of the improvements to the ones we like.

We now propose to the chef that we would be willing to pay him to fix the dishes we like in addition to whatever we pay for the current versions. How does the chef respond? we don’t know yet.

You’re perfectly in your rights to go to another restaurant. I personally like the taste of the chicken at this one and would like to see them finish the dessert to the point where I would be willing to pay them to do it.

But a anet the chef has long abandoned the kitchen. I understand your intention, but it doesn’t work in 2016.

I would love to fund what I like, but they have not added any Super Adventure box content/items in years.

I would support a project that would give us more armor skins.

Not the way it works. It’s ANet’s job to make a game people want to play, they get it right and we pay for it, if not we don’t.

No good listening to the players as we all have different opinions so they do what they want and rarely please us. The problem then lies with the players, we stupidly stick around hoping for better

One of the reasons the GW franchise is successful is that ANet has been its own master in determining the direction, the principles, and the specific content. I can’t see the game getting better by introducing crowdsourcing and adding (potentially) dozens of new stakeholders.

Some day, perhaps within 10 years, we’ll see something like open source for MMOs that attract hundreds of thousands of players. Until then, we’re at the mercy of the gaming industry’s best people — some days, that’s pretty darn good and others it sucks to be us.

No.

If they want extra money for some of their work, they need to make it into an expansion that people want to buy.

I would say more, but THEY are watching.

I only want to see left handed wookies with jetpacks.
I pay you, you give me!
Is that how you want it to work then?

I would pay for more GW1 content.

I wouldn’t stand behind crowd funding. I would very much be open to some type of polling system where players can vote on which ideas selected by Anet should receive priority.

Old School Runescape does this, although it’s far from perfect, it is very community friendly and stimulates other ideas/feedback on existing features.

Kraizer.2350:

I wouldn’t stand behind crowd funding. I would very much be open to some type of polling system where players can vote on which ideas selected by Anet should receive priority.

I’d rather not have people ruining the game with ‘mounts’ and other such bad ideas.

Sounds like a good voting system. +1 Or at least for the well funded.

Kraizer.2350:

I wouldn’t stand behind crowd funding. I would very much be open to some type of polling system where players can vote on which ideas selected by Anet should receive priority.

Old School Runescape does this, although it’s far from perfect, it is very community friendly and stimulates other ideas/feedback on existing features.

I don’t see that as any better (or worse) than crowd-funding. One account one vote means richer players can exert more influence; one dollar, one vote also allows richer players to have more say.

And regardless, I don’t want 50%+1 of the players deciding what’s good for the game. If we had done that for GW1, we never would have had Cantha or Elona nor GW Beyond — there are other things ANet might have done instead, but those things were fun and unexpected.

tl;dr too many cooks spoils the broth

We can’t trust the players to make game changing decisions.

The issues I see with this idea are:

1. Crowdfunding is usually used with developers that don’t have backers. ANet had a backer, but made enough money with GW2 to take that over themselves. They’re not lacking for money.
2. Given #1, this idea simply becomes a popularity contest. Which player idea generates the most money. As Ill says, I’m not sure that basing game direction on discretionary income is good for anyone but the ones with the highest income. There’s enough of that crap in RL.
3. There’s the issue of how would ANet determine which ideas were being “sponsored.” Do they create items that fund Project X, Y or Z in similar fashion to the in-game voting for Kiel and that nasty Charr yielded a certain fractal? If so, I’d rather than be another gameplay choice than an “open your wallet” moment.

Incredible feedback all around. Can’t thank you all for taking the effort to do so.

I was thinking along the lines of an investment where you take the risk and hope for a return. Because you are an investor, the “client” would have to be more engaged and continue to sell that idea. (To get more investors naturally.)

I do see your points-of-view though. I recall when I invested in the Oculus Rift that, when Facebook took it, we backers felt betrayed. It was hard for us to read Oculus Rift articles thereafter. But lo and behold we receive the final product for “free”.

Contrary to that, I am not a whale. I don’t go and buy everything in the store. (Anyone read about that guy spending over $30,000 on Star Citizen ships?!) But I would like to support the game in some other way, even if it’s $20/mo for no return. I have friends do that for EverQuest, WoW, etc. They rarely play but continue to shell that sub. I’m not thinking subscription — that’s a bad idea. Rather a similar thing to Star Citizen where people who want to pitch in per-month (or whenever they want) .. they can. I guess it’s still called a sub. I don’t know. It’s a contradiction but I guess you get the idea.

Anyway it was just that: an idea. I miss the game .. well .. I miss the pre-HoT WvW to be exact. If ANet told me tomorrow that bringing the Alpine borderland would cost X extra in the budget, I’d stupidly reply “shut up and take my money!” Because that’s what this fan would do.