Guild Wars 2

I think sometimes in the intense debates about stuff on this board, which I sometimes participate in, this fact does get a little lost. There is a lot about GW2 which degrades the fun, or distracts from the fun, and indeed it’s why I stopped for a few months, but getting back into it, that’s my big takeaway – so long as you can find the right class and spec for you:

GW2 is basically pretty fun.

Just messing around in the world, doing zone completion (and all that entails), zerg-surfing in WvW (which I keep accidentally calling RvR – it’s not yet as good as DAoC, but could be one day), trying out new dye looks, new gear appearances, doing the new world bosses (except Teq – he’s got potential but is too frustrating), and so on – it’s really quite a lot of fun in a way that most MMOs are not, and I really hope they can continue to make it feel that way.

There is some stuff which probably should be fun but isn’t quite there yet – dungeons are a bit too dependent on detailed pre-knowledge, Fractals can be very fun but can be a tad tedious, depending on which you get, sPvP is a bit too same-y and faceless (it’s good – not great – good though), the Living World stuff is a bit too “GIT IT DUN!” because of the short time scales, Dailies are almost fun, now, so that’s an improvement but could do with more, and gearing, sadly, is little fun outside PvP, because elsewhere it’s just zerker or gtfo. More fun doesn’t necessarily mean more rewards, either – rewards support fun (and prevent you having to do anti-fun things to compensate for “wasted” fun time), they rarely create it – but it does mean being careful about them.

But again, I keep coming back to how basically fun the actual, underlying game is. how fun the abilities are, how it’s fun to combine them, to defeat normal enemies, veterans and champs, how it’s fun to dodge abilities and so on.

You know what other game was like that? GW1. Yeah, GW2 isn’t as awesome in that regard as GW1 was after two expansions, but it’s getting there. So I think the devs are, in a lot of ways, on the right track. I really hope the new skills and their acquisition help with this fun (hopefully involving the open world, not instances!).

Debbie downers can’t change the fact that GW2 has won several accolades in the past year.

I’m still chuckiling how someone tried to say Final Fantasy is better than GW2. Man, that guy must hate GW2 THAT bad.

The game is fun, but has a lot of unnecessary frustrations too. I really wish someone would explain to devs that unnecessary frustration due to lack of thought process causes less people to play you’re game.

I’m still having fun…but I could be having a lot more fun. lol

Gw2 has a solid foundation to build upon, I think in a few years it will be the best MMO on the market

Vol.5241:

Debbie downers can’t change the fact that GW2 has won several accolades in the past year.

I’m still chuckiling how someone tried to say Final Fantasy is better than GW2. Man, that guy must hate GW2 THAT bad.

I don’t think you should be Debbie Downer about Debbie Downers, Vol, most of them are just being honest about what frustrates them.

I just think that, overall, GW2 is doing a decent job. Could it be doing a better job? Yes. But a lot of the basic design is really solidly fun. The jumping for example, despite some issues, is just actually fun, where in most games its utterly frustrating.

FFXIV being better than GW2 is pretty hysterical, though!

Justdeifyme.9387:

Gw2 has a solid foundation to build upon, I think in a few years it will be the best MMO on the market

The core of GW2 (playstyle, the way abilities work, downleveling in lower zones, the concept of WvW) was pretty well done and it was the reason I switched to it. The problem is that the game was implemented on a crippling outdated game engine, there have been some major deficiencies since launch that have been ignored in favor of introducing some really stupid things, and there has been no permanent new content with the least bit of cleverness to it. The game has become totally frustrating both because of squandered potential and some really horrible decisions that deviated from its original promise and assurances. I would truly love for GW2 to clean up its act and hold me forever, but there hasn’t been the least evidence that the devs understand any of this and there doesn’t seem to be the slightest prospect that they will, so when one of the upcoming major MMOs finally get introduced I will reluctantly turn my back on this mess forever.

Cactus.2710:

Justdeifyme.9387:

Gw2 has a solid foundation to build upon, I think in a few years it will be the best MMO on the market

The core of GW2 (playstyle, the way abilities work, downleveling in lower zones, the concept of WvW) was pretty well done and it was the reason I switched to it. The problem is that the game was implemented on a crippling outdated game engine, there have been some major deficiencies since launch that have been ignored in favor of introducing some really stupid things, and there has been no permanent new content with the least bit of cleverness to it. The game has become totally frustrating both because of squandered potential and some really horrible decisions that deviated from its original promise and assurances. I would truly love for GW2 to clean up its act and hold me forever, but there hasn’t been the least evidence that the devs understand any of this and there doesn’t seem to be the slightest prospect that they will, so when one of the upcoming major MMOs finally get introduced I will reluctantly turn my back on this mess forever.

To be honest, Cactus, if you mean what you say – “[not even] the least bit of cleverness” to the content – I don’t think you are being very honest about wanting GW2 to improve. There has been a lot of stuff that has had some cleverness to it, that has been basically a good idea – like Fractals – denying that they are a good idea is really silly. Similarly the improvements to a number of areas, including Dailies, have been good (not perfect, but good). As have some of the events.

It’s also dishonest to say “[I will leave] this mess behind forever”, oh, for what, some other mess? Do you really, honestly think that TESO or WildStar are going to get more right than GW2? Because I do not. TESO has some serious issues right from the outset, and is pure Holy Trinity despte the Elder Scrolls Universe not supporting that, and WildStar, well, everything coming out of the WildStar alpha or beta or whatever it is says that it is an ultra-hardcore game in terms of time requirements, that you really have to play 6+ hours a day to get just about anywhere in it, which is fine for college kids and the like, but not for people with jobs.

I don’t think either of them has the solid sort of basis GW2 has to build on. Plus both are starting as subscription-based, even though we shall see how long that lasts.

A new player asked me where to find the bank yesterday so I showed him. He told me he just got the game a couple days ago so I asked him how he liked it so far. He said, “This game is funnnnnnnnn!”

I know that’s what keeps me logging in – it is hands down the most fun MMO I’ve ever played

Fun. The cornerstone for the GW2 experience. Nothing’s required, everything’s allowed. I love that kind of mindset.

Remember, don’t go by the forums to see how people like this game. Most of the people that go to gaming forums only go to complain.

I am really enjoying this game. Its true, i have only been playing for a month and half but it takes up a good amount of my time. Most of the time i have no idea what items i need to get but the fun part is figuring that out.

When i started i had no idea what the LS was. I didn’t start realizing what was going on till the end of the Queen’s speech. This time i was way more involved with Tequatl and have been having a blast. I spent all my gold on exotic Valkryie armor for my Ele to the point it took me a few days to get enough gold to finish it. At that time i was broke but then i was able to beat Teq each of the last 3 days and i’m already back up to 10g witch is good because i haven’t been doing any other farming since i’ve been busy.

So to sum up, the more i learn, the more fun it gets for me.

Eurhetemec.9052:

I think sometimes in the intense debates about stuff on this board, which I sometimes participate in, this fact does get a little lost. There is a lot about GW2 which degrades the fun, or distracts from the fun, and indeed it’s why I stopped for a few months, but getting back into it, that’s my big takeaway – so long as you can find the right class and spec for you:

GW2 is basically pretty fun.

Just messing around in the world, doing zone completion (and all that entails), zerg-surfing in WvW (which I keep accidentally calling RvR – it’s not yet as good as DAoC, but could be one day), trying out new dye looks, new gear appearances, doing the new world bosses (except Teq – he’s got potential but is too frustrating), and so on – it’s really quite a lot of fun in a way that most MMOs are not, and I really hope they can continue to make it feel that way.

There is some stuff which probably should be fun but isn’t quite there yet – dungeons are a bit too dependent on detailed pre-knowledge, Fractals can be very fun but can be a tad tedious, depending on which you get, sPvP is a bit too same-y and faceless (it’s good – not great – good though), the Living World stuff is a bit too “GIT IT DUN!” because of the short time scales, Dailies are almost fun, now, so that’s an improvement but could do with more, and gearing, sadly, is little fun outside PvP, because elsewhere it’s just zerker or gtfo. More fun doesn’t necessarily mean more rewards, either – rewards support fun (and prevent you having to do anti-fun things to compensate for “wasted” fun time), they rarely create it – but it does mean being careful about them.

But again, I keep coming back to how basically fun the actual, underlying game is. how fun the abilities are, how it’s fun to combine them, to defeat normal enemies, veterans and champs, how it’s fun to dodge abilities and so on.

You know what other game was like that? GW1. Yeah, GW2 isn’t as awesome in that regard as GW1 was after two expansions, but it’s getting there. So I think the devs are, in a lot of ways, on the right track. I really hope the new skills and their acquisition help with this fun (hopefully involving the open world, not instances!).

Couldn’t of said it better myself.

deadatspawn.6045:

Remember, don’t go by the forums to see how people like this game. Most of the people that go to gaming forums only go to complain.

I am really enjoying this game. Its true, i have only been playing for a month and half but it takes up a good amount of my time. Most of the time i have no idea what items i need to get but the fun part is figuring that out.

When i started i had no idea what the LS was. I didn’t start realizing what was going on till the end of the Queen’s speech. This time i was way more involved with Tequatl and have been having a blast. I spent all my gold on exotic Valkryie armor for my Ele to the point it took me a few days to get enough gold to finish it. At that time i was broke but then i was able to beat Teq each of the last 3 days and i’m already back up to 10g witch is good because i haven’t been doing any other farming since i’ve been busy.

So to sum up, the more i learn, the more fun it gets for me.

If you have 7+ negative threads in any game something is wrong with it — I have learned this over the years. Most of the threads you will see are questions/concerns, not a direct F you anet you make a bad game. /end fistshake

Now go look at swtor’s gen chat.

it is a fun game, but anet seems to be bound to do everything ALMOST right for a few months now. Which in the end will lead to a game that is not fun. I sincerely hope they find the creativity to correct this course.

lets play a drinking game! take a swig every time the OP said “fun”

nah im kidding, but you are right, the game is very fun. it can get very grindy if you do the grindy things, but if you let yourself just play the stuff you like the most, its a blast.
and now if you dont find anything fun in the game, wait 2 weeks and see what is next.

Eurhetemec.9052:

Cactus.2710:

Justdeifyme.9387:

Gw2 has a solid foundation to build upon, I think in a few years it will be the best MMO on the market

The core of GW2 (playstyle, the way abilities work, downleveling in lower zones, the concept of WvW) was pretty well done and it was the reason I switched to it. The problem is that the game was implemented on a crippling outdated game engine, there have been some major deficiencies since launch that have been ignored in favor of introducing some really stupid things, and there has been no permanent new content with the least bit of cleverness to it. The game has become totally frustrating both because of squandered potential and some really horrible decisions that deviated from its original promise and assurances. I would truly love for GW2 to clean up its act and hold me forever, but there hasn’t been the least evidence that the devs understand any of this and there doesn’t seem to be the slightest prospect that they will, so when one of the upcoming major MMOs finally get introduced I will reluctantly turn my back on this mess forever.

To be honest, Cactus, if you mean what you say – “[not even] the least bit of cleverness” to the content – I don’t think you are being very honest about wanting GW2 to improve. There has been a lot of stuff that has had some cleverness to it, that has been basically a good idea – like Fractals – denying that they are a good idea is really silly. Similarly the improvements to a number of areas, including Dailies, have been good (not perfect, but good). As have some of the events.

It’s also dishonest to say “[I will leave] this mess behind forever”, oh, for what, some other mess? Do you really, honestly think that TESO or WildStar are going to get more right than GW2? Because I do not. TESO has some serious issues right from the outset, and is pure Holy Trinity despte the Elder Scrolls Universe not supporting that, and WildStar, well, everything coming out of the WildStar alpha or beta or whatever it is says that it is an ultra-hardcore game in terms of time requirements, that you really have to play 6+ hours a day to get just about anywhere in it, which is fine for college kids and the like, but not for people with jobs.

I don’t think either of them has the solid sort of basis GW2 has to build on. Plus both are starting as subscription-based, even though we shall see how long that lasts.

Well, to be honest, I don’t do dungeons so I’ll grant you that fractals might have been well done. I was referring to WvW and Living Story .. just about everything added to WvW has been astoundingly misguided, and the Living Story content has been mostly a boring grind.

As far as TESO goes, I don’t have a problem with a subscription based game and most of the people I’ve seen commenting on WvW have stated they’d gladly pay for better content. I do have deep reservations about the Trinity in TESO since getting rid of it was one of the things I commend GW2 for, but from what I’ve read so far ZeniMax has said that they plan for all characters to have lots of leeway in how they play. How far that goes in terms of crossover between healing, dps, and tanking remains to be seen. At the very least, it’s pretty clear that ZeniMax is acutely aware of the major deficiencies of GW2 and is targeting those faults in the design of TESO. possibly it will disappoint me, but not likely any more than GW2 has … if only because GW2 had such great promise initially.

By the way, I played Rift for about 18 months and your comments sound exactly like what people there were saying about GW2 before launch. Different specifics, but same tone … “if you think you’re going to find anything better there you’re going to be sorely disappointed and you’ll be crawling back here within a month.” I was, but I didn’t.