Guild Wars 2

Why doesn’t Anet open GW2 to modders? We could have many new custom maps in the WvW rotation, new PvP maps, jumping puzzles and new PvE areas at a difficulty level players are ready to face.

All we would require are modding tools and a system that could let us plug our content on a world map overflow. The content would then be flowing, so would the money.

hah no, that would lead to much more exploiting and hacking and eventually into cheating.

The only reason a game allows for modding would be if it was a largely single player or small scale coop/multiplayer game, things like skyrim, terraria, minecraft and suchlike.

Giving modding and dev tools for an MMO to users is like shooting yourself in the foot.

I agree with Pie Flavor. Plus, the game is already sketchy as is. I can barely play for an hour without getting disconnected. Not to mention the large-scale event disconnections and glitches. Opening the game to modders would only make matters worse.

At best MAYBE let them submit weapons and armour for review to get them featured in game.

Maybe then when they needed to make them fit every race and body shape they’d shut up with silly complains.
The other day I saw someone reporting a bug on the Stag legs because a tiny bit of the toon heel would clip while he was running…

if you like mods, I would suggest a Bethesda Softworks/Zenimax title. Perhaps fallout or sky rim? The thing about it is, GW2 is an MMORPG…and opening it for the modded community would simply entail the risk of WAY TO MANY tamperers that would exploit this.

MMOs are not games that normally get the greenlight for modding. It just causes too many problems.

Dean Calaway.9718:

At best MAYBE let them submit weapons and armour for review to get them featured in game.

Maybe then when they needed to make them fit every race and body shape they’d shut up with silly complains.
The other day I saw someone reporting a bug on the Stag legs because a tiny bit of the toon heel would clip while he was running…

well I mean, steam has the “steam workshop” implemented on certain games, which is a system that allows players to submit their creations for review to be implemented ingame. Dota 2 is the biggest example of this, in which you can browse thousands upon thousands of fan made cosmetic items, and depending on how good they are, they may eventually be implemented ingame, and the creator actually gets a cut from the sales of these cosmetic items.

The downside is that Dota 2 is considered a “hat simulator” as much as Team Fortress 2 is now, when a big focus of the dev team and the client goes to cosmetics, but I think it’s actually a pretty cool system, and could see it working for GW2.

Pie Flavor.1647:

steam has the “steam workshop” implemented on certain games, which is a system that allows players to submit their creations for review to be implemented ingame (…) and the creator actually gets a cut from the sales of these cosmetic items.

Maybe a one time gem payment to people whos work get in game.

Pie Flavor.1647:

well I mean, steam has the “steam workshop” implemented on certain games, which is a system that allows players to submit their creations for review to be implemented ingame.

Ya but these items are free and were always free. The cosmetic is secondary to the game and you simply choose what you want. In a MMO, cosmetic is a primary part of the game and each cosmetic item need to have a price tag. Here some example why a steamwork kind of tools wouldn’t work in GW2 or any other MMO.

1) Someone put a lot of effort to make a freaking cool item, even better that any other legendary currently in the game. This item would be free to download and anyone could put that skin on their weapons.
2) Someone could make a replicate of Volcanus or any weapons in the game and it would be free?

This kind of system would destroy not only all of the cosmetic work of Anet (since anyone with a minimum of intelligence will take a free skin), but also the economy since a lot of material would be useless or less in demand.

Now, we can change the steamwork concept to fit it better in the MMO in general. A system or tools created by Anet that allow people to submit their creation. With a good tools, ppl could be able to create a big part of the job Anet need to put to create new items. Of course Anet will still need to put work on these item, to polish them, make change little things or fix bugs. They would also need to add some codes, since they can allow ppl to have access to everything. They would also need to put a price and a way of to get that item (crafting, mystic forge, drops, gem store?). But still, this kind of system could allow the community to do half the job Anet need to do to create new items (cosmetics).

Since Anet would still need to put some work, not all item could be implemented in the game. Some selection would be needed. Maybe players could vote of some of their favorite skins each months. In the shot run, the creation of this system would cost a bit more to Anet, but in the long run, as more and more item come from the community and not only from them, they could save money and do some really great PR with their community.

Thaddeus.4891:

In a MMO, cosmetic is a primary part of the game and each cosmetic item need to have a price tag.

Player submitted skins could drop from champion bags.

Thaddeus.4891:

1) Someone put a lot of effort to make a freaking cool item, even better that any other legendary currently in the game. This item would be free to download and anyone could put that skin on their weapons.

Already addressed, if they drop from champ bags like the current ones Anet is not really making any money by selling them (on the gem store for example) but they’re also not being handed out for free.

Thaddeus.4891:

2) Someone could make a replicate of Volcanus or any weapons in the game and it would be free?

They’d be submitted for review to prevent things like that and others like replicated lady/gentleman parts.

Thaddeus.4891:

Now, we can change the steamwork concept to fit it better in the MMO in general. A system or tools created by Anet that allow people to submit their creation. With a good tools, ppl could be able to create a big part of the job Anet need to put to create new items. Of course Anet will still need to put work on these item, to polish them, make change little things or fix bugs. They would also need to add some codes, since they can allow ppl to have access to everything. They would also need to put a price and a way of to get that item (crafting, mystic forge, drops, gem store?). But still, this kind of system could allow the community to do half the job Anet need to do to create new items (cosmetics).

Since Anet would still need to put some work, not all item could be implemented in the game. Some selection would be needed. Maybe players could vote of some of their favorite skins each months. In the shot run, the creation of this system would cost a bit more to Anet, but in the long run, as more and more item come from the community and not only from them, they could save money and do some really great PR with their community.

Yes this is what we meant.
And Anet doesn’t need to create any tools, all they need is to tell people the resolution they want for the mesh and the skin and the memory limit.
The rest people will just use something like Maya or Zbrush (that Anet already uses by the way) and job done, you’re basically letting your audience do your work for you.

hahahahah…..modding…in an mmo environment…with an economy….yer funny.

Hey thanks for the reply everyone, I only wanted to get this discussion going and have people reflect upon the possibilities.

The mods would:
1- Function outside the main world economy (no rewards besides those that only work within the mod)
2- Would take place outside the main PvE story.
3- Could work in a similar fashion to the steam workshop, where content must first be approved by Anet.
4- About modding for a MMO environment. Well, Anet isn’t really an MMO. Everything is instanced, there is no monthly fee. I really don’t see the difficulty in adding a new WvW map to the dropdown menu. Anet could then have a WvW map contest for example and the winning map could be included to the rotation as they wish.

Xillllix.3485:

Hey thanks for the reply everyone, I only wanted to get this discussion going and have people reflect upon the possibilities.

The mods would:
1- Function outside the main world economy (no rewards besides those that only work within the mod)
2- Would take place outside the main PvE story.
3- Could work in a similar fashion to the steam workshop, where content must first be approved by Anet.
4- About modding for a MMO environment. Well, Anet isn’t really an MMO. Everything is instanced, there is no monthly fee. I really don’t see the difficulty in adding a new WvW map to the dropdown menu. Anet could then have a WvW map contest for example and the winning map could be included to the rotation as they wish.

Nope, ANet is the developer, so you’re right there. However, to say GW2 isn’t really an MMO simply because of instancing and no monthly fee is the same as saying WoW isn’t an MMO because it has the majority of it’s endgame instanced.

The fact is that it’s an online game played by everyone, and thus opening the game to modding can easily lead to exploitation. While Anet could check all content first, it also means that they’d have to hire a team specifically for that purpose.

Now, the Steam workshop is slightly different. You aren’t directly modding the game (on the server side, at least). You’re submitting ideas to be implemented by Valve.

Now, I’d be all for something like that; a place where players can submit armour and weapon designs. Even designs for DE’s, dungeons, Fractals, maps ect.

However, directly modding the game outside the game’s implemented rules, so that it could potentially affect others too? Never in a million years can I see that happening.

Letting people mod the content is a dangerous idea.
On the other hand, the UI needs to be more customizable.

dota2 has a system where players can create cosmetics- it makes a ton of money
I see no problem since Anet can still veto anything

No. There are enough “exploits” found working within the confines of the playing the game, imagine how many more “cracks” can be found if they allowed players to create content.