(edited by bigbobpataki.4796)
On the future of Guild Wars expansions
I’m looking forward to HoT, but I think it remains to be seen whether or not their expansion is going to keep everyone busy on par with the expansions of other games. Especially if they offer less content area than what most consider an amount appropriate for a true expansion.
It almost looks like GW2’s expansion will be more in keeping with small content updates of other games with the exception of a couple of things. Adding a new class feels very “expansion-y” and they’re trying to make the old classes feel fresh with elite specializations, but again, how good are these specializations?
If everyone decides that those lines are worse than what was originally introduced and no one uses them long-term, then that is a ton of their expansion content out the window.
I’m looking forward to HoT, but I think it remains to be seen whether or not their expansion is going to keep everyone busy on par with the expansions of other games. Especially if they offer less content area than what most consider an amount appropriate for a true expansion.
It almost looks like GW2’s expansion will be more in keeping with small content updates of other games with the exception of a couple of things. Adding a new class feels very “expansion-y” and they’re trying to make the old classes feel fresh with elite specializations, but again, how good are these specializations?
If everyone decides that those lines are worse than what was originally introduced and no one uses them long-term, then that is a ton of their expansion content out the window.
Honestly I think we can only reserve speculation on these issues until HoT is released. Small content? It comes down to how many zones/depth of zones are at release. How much E.Specs refresh classes come down to how much anet changes current professions. If anet fails at releasing deep, content rich zones and equally rich new profession E. Specs, then yeah they have failed in diversifying their xpac enough gameplay wise.
Its really, really important to note that we cannot pass judgement on these things until the final product is released.
Its really, really important to note that we cannot pass judgement on these things until the final product is released.
Yeah, I agree we won’t know for sure about everything and how it works before it actually comes out. I’m just a little worried from what we do know so far.
Judging by what we’ve seen ANet has created the framework to easily expand upon: specialisations and masteries. So I’d say we’d definitely be getting more of those in future expansion. We’d also probably see new regions being added (since you can’t really call it an expansion without more zones to play in). Maybe we’ll also see some Guild Hall stuff, but having heard nothing about Guild Halls so far I’m unsure how easily they can be expanded upon.
It would be nice if they’d do a little article about the details on acquiring a guild hall.
Judging by what we’ve seen ANet has created the framework to easily expand upon: specialisations and masteries. So I’d say we’d definitely be getting more of those in future expansion. We’d also probably see new regions being added (since you can’t really call it an expansion without more zones to play in). Maybe we’ll also see some Guild Hall stuff, but having heard nothing about Guild Halls so far I’m unsure how easily they can be expanded upon.
Yeah I agree that Anet has really kept players interested with specializations and masteries, but HoT is more of a question of “how can anet keep players engaged with familiar, old systems” and less of “how can anet keep players invested in spending $60 every 2 years on expansions without physical, quantitative content”: the former is very short term while the later is very long term.
By quantitative content I mean content that shows an increase in player power/ability, you can preach being able to pierce a certain mob’s armor all you want but in the end relatively you’re just as weak/same as 2 xpacs ago. Anet eventually has to increase player power IMO (and I may mistakenly speak for the community here) along broader lines like levels.
It would be nice if they’d do a little article about the details on acquiring a guild hall.
As an officer in a major guild im really awaiting news like this but I understand their restraint, releasing information on things they cant deliver is worse than no news in April or may at all.
Anet eventually has to increase player power IMO (and I may mistakenly speak for the community here) along broader lines like levels.
I hate to break this to you, but I believe you are indeed mistaken here and do not speak for the community. Certainly not the core community (those who are willing to stick around after hype dies down). GW2 does not need an increase in player power (at least not directly), and least of all not with levels. That’d be one of the absolute worst things they could do.
Guild Wars 1 did fine and lived through 3 expansions packs and beyond without ever raising the level cap beyond the original 20, and without losing players at a non-natural rate. If anything, the only thing that eventually ended up losing Guild Wars 1 players, was the release of Guild Wars 2. That’s it.
For those who do want an increase in player “power”…the mastery system is more than enough to take care of that. Just like the PvE only skills were enough to take care of that in GW1’s expansions. You do become more powerful through flexibility (Elite Specializations), gimmicks (increased damage/resistance to various mob types), and safety-nets (Gliders, when knocked off a cliff), which are enough to increase a player’s power without making players that don’t have these feel like they are too handicapped if they don’t have a particular expansion or have a long-grinding road ahead of them before they can compete again.
I think hardly anyone that’s ever gone through the painful grind for Ascended Equipment for all classes wants to have to do that again, ever, and those that never bothered with Ascended Equipment to begin with, certainly don’t want to have to bother with it ever, let alone ever again.
(edited by KotCR.6024)
Anet eventually has to increase player power IMO (and I may mistakenly speak for the community here) along broader lines like levels.
I hate to break this to you, but I believe you are indeed mistaken here and do not speak for the community. Certainly not the core community (those who are willing to stick around after hype dies down). GW2 does not need an increase in player power (at least not directly), and least of all not with levels. That’d be one of the absolute worst things they could do.
Guild Wars 1 did fine and lived through 3 expansions packs and beyond without ever raising the level cap beyond the original 20, and without losing players at a non-natural rate. If anything, the only thing that eventually ended up losing Guild Wars 1 players, was the release of Guild Wars 2. That’s it.
For those who do want an increase in player “power”…the mastery system is more than enough to take care of that. Just like the PvE only skills were enough to take care of that in GW1’s expansions. You do become more powerful through flexibility (Elite Specializations), gimmicks (increased damage/resistance to various mob types), and safety-nets (Gliders, when knocked off a cliff), which are enough to increase a player’s power without making players that don’t have these feel like they are too handicapped if they don’t have a particular expansion or have a long-grinding road ahead of them before they can compete again.
I think hardly anyone that’s ever gone through the painful grind for Ascended Equipment for all classes wants to have to do that again, ever, and those that never bothered with Ascended Equipment to begin with, certainly don’t want to have to bother with it ever, let alone ever again.
Thats fine, I completely understand where people with Ascended gear are coming from. Anet is going to have to grapple with the fact that they opened up that pandora’s box. Whether or not the mastery system provides enough progression past HoT remains to be seen, I’m hoping it will but at the same time one has to wonder whether its enough.
If this expansion is a success they will definitely continue to make more. It’s good for generating hype and re-invigorating the community. Things like this can bring in new players too. With games like EQN up in vaporware territory, this is a good opportunity to really beef up the game and ambitiously expand on the game. I like the nods to the old game and I like that they are adding features we have been begging for.
/still holding out for Cantha.