Guild Wars 2

Someone recently somoenone sent me this link; quite interesting, so i would like to share this with you guys; the community (of course)!

So what are your thoughts?

By the way, i’m concerned about the Future of Guild Wars 2 like so many of you; obviously!

(This is not to shame Arena.net but to understand them, especially at the curent ‘handicap’ state or ‘broken-state’ Guild Wars 2 is very much in).

Here goes…

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/ArenaNet-Reviews-E255820.htm

“I suspect that is one of the reasons why one of the founders started a new company”.

To Arena.net, ‘the past is what helped shaped you’.

Have your forgotten your roots?

Well, considering those founders left approximately 5 (more like 6 now) years ago, I’m not sure how relevant it is to today’s game.

The site is a bit like the forum, some like what’s going on, and some do not.

No its in the hands of a gold digger.

The fun thing is, Guild Wars 2 has enough potential to rival WoWs place at the top of the MMO Ranks, if it would develop in the right ways through the next years.

That means, if this game wouldn’t be developed only to make money, they could make much more money in a few years than they are making now with all that Gem Store crap. With the current ways of developement they’re heading in a dead end with a really pretty car.

I’ll have to echo the sentiment that it really does feel like it’s not going where it has the potential to go.

If they focused more on making the game fun, the rest of what they want would follow/be a result of the game entertaining more players.

Essence Snow.3194:

I’ll have to echo the sentiment that it really does feel like it’s not going where it has the potential to go.

If they focused more on making the game fun, the rest of what they want would follow/be a result of the game entertaining more players.

As a person studying game design right now I think that they’re doing a great job at it. You say that they should focus on making the game fun, however could you give suggestions how? Is the new TA path not fun? It has very original mechanics. And then how would you decide what’s fun and what’s not when everyone has a different idea of fun? For some Scarlet invasions is pointless farming, for others it’s their idea of fun.

Justdeifyme.9387:

The fun thing is, Guild Wars 2 has enough potential to rival WoWs place at the top of the MMO Ranks, if it would develop in the right ways through the next years.

That means, if this game wouldn’t be developed only to make money, they could make much more money in a few years than they are making now with all that Gem Store crap. With the current ways of developement they’re heading in a dead end with a really pretty car.

Very true.

Mirta.5029:

You say that they should focus on making the game fun, however could you give suggestions how?

The game is not fun because the primary focus seems to be rewards, loot etc. That’s a terrible way to run a video GAME.

You need to focus on the game play itself. The skills, the combat, the character development that impacts your skills and so on. People should be signing in because they actually want to go out in the world and just fight stuff. That’s not happening. People are signing in because they’re grinding for loot… BOOOOO!!!!

There needs to be more depth with skills and combat. It needs to be fun to play, not because it’s a “challenge”, but because just using the skills is entertaining… not redundant.

In fact, like a lot of successful games that pull this off (albeit different genres), people are rewarded for just using the skills… and not with loot, but with character animations, cool effects, an impact where you feel the power of your skills being used on your enemy. That’s a good reward. You put this reward behind a deep and complex skill system, where the customization is high and results in many different variations of combat that people can enjoy.

That’s a video game. That’s fun. Not this rewards mindset that people are seemingly conditioned to. D;

Mirta.5029:

Essence Snow.3194:

I’ll have to echo the sentiment that it really does feel like it’s not going where it has the potential to go.

If they focused more on making the game fun, the rest of what they want would follow/be a result of the game entertaining more players.

As a person studying game design right now I think that they’re doing a great job at it. You say that they should focus on making the game fun, however could you give suggestions how? Is the new TA path not fun? It has very original mechanics. And then how would you decide what’s fun and what’s not when everyone has a different idea of fun? For some Scarlet invasions is pointless farming, for others it’s their idea of fun.

What exactly is the “original mechanic” about the Aether path? Kiting a boss during a fight? Done in HoTW as well as CoF p2. Traps? Done in just about every single dungeon already. Dragging “add mobs” onto certain things on the floor? Done in AC as well as underwater fractal. How is anything done on that path “very original” ? It isn’t.

Also take the fact that all the living world content that has been added so far, and realize most of it is gone now. Instead of adding to the world, you have time gated temp content.

I was excited about the LS. I was under the impression it was like an ever growing expansion. Adding things more and more. It isn’kittens an AP grind, scavenger hunt that lasts a few weeks. When its gone, you have a new back item to show for it.

If this is how the rest of GW2 is going to be, then I see GW2 the game to play until something else comes out. I hope that Anet realizes this and 1. Makes the LS add content, permanently, or 2. Releases a content packed expansion very soon.

Blackmoon.6837:

Mirta.5029:

You say that they should focus on making the game fun, however could you give suggestions how?

The game is not fun because the primary focus seems to be rewards, loot etc. That’s a terrible way to run a video GAME.

You need to focus on the game play itself. The skills, the combat, the character development that impacts your skills and so on. People should be signing in because they actually want to go out in the world and just fight stuff. That’s not happening. People are signing in because they’re grinding for loot… BOOOOO!!!!

There needs to be more depth with skills and combat. It needs to be fun to play, not because it’s a “challenge”, but because just using the skills is entertaining… not redundant.

In fact, like a lot of successful games that pull this off (albeit different genres), people are rewarded for just using the skills… and not with loot, but with character animations, cool effects, an impact where you feel the power of your skills being used on your enemy. That’s a good reward. You put this reward behind a deep and complex skill system, where the customization is high and results in many different variations of combat that people can enjoy.

That’s a video game. That’s fun. Not this rewards mindset that people are seemingly conditioned to. D;

Everything you describe here are player-side problems.

MMOs players have been conditioned to be loot-driven. Everything about the game is about getting the biggest stat shiny thing. They have to target a larger audience than GW1 did, and guess what… that larger audience wants phat lootz. Sorry.

MMO players could care less about how “fun” a mechanic is as long as they get their “purples” (to borrow the WoW term). They don’t care about grind, they don’t care about time. As long as they can sit in Orgrim… I mean… Lion’s Arch with their hot swag, then it’s all cool, man.

There’s only so much you can break conventional thinking before players push back and quit. I understand that frustrates and angers “veterans” who think Guild Wars 1 with graphical updates would have been enough. It wouldn’t have been. I’m sorry.

For the recorded, I decided to play this game becuase ArenaNet said they were going to innovate the MMO genre. I haven’t played any other MMOs other than this franchise, so I’m not familiar with the loot mindset, but I certainly tell you that if that’s what makes the MMO genre… then that’s BULL kitten!

IMO, this mindset is an infection and needs to be destroyed.

Blackmoon.6837:

For the recorded, I decided to play this game becuase ArenaNet said they were going to innovate the MMO genre. I haven’t played any other MMOs other than this franchise, so I’m not familiar with the loot mindset, but I certainly tell you that if that’s what makes the MMO genre… then that’s BULL kitten!

IMO, this mindset is an infection and needs to be destroyed.

There’s a LOT of conditioning that MMO players have that I think needs to be slapped out of them… but companies can’t be the one to do it, not unless they want their game to fail.

There’s only so much a company can do to break that conditioning, otherwise players won’t bother anymore. My first guild in this game to a man left because exotics were too easy to get (everybody’s got ‘em, that’s stupid) and there was only one “endgame” dungeon (Arah explorable). They didn’t want to “go back” to “lowbie zones.” That’s where the “noobs” are.

I’m the only one of that group (that numbered 40 people) that is still playing.

THEY represent the MMO fanbase, I’m afraid. Without them, Guild Wars 2 can’t succeed with the costs the game has.

That’s not true. Again, I’m a console player and that’s mainly because the lot of games I play are geared around game play, not loot. If they can get me, then why can’t they get the hundreds of thousands of other console players?

If Anet wants to be truly innovative, then they can devise a way to move this mindset over to the game play & combat etc.

Any game that contains “for a limited time only” for any item skins or stats is not in good hands. It means that there is a person in charge who has absolutely no respect for what the playerbase might want. That person is ready to sacrifice permanent addition of content (item skins/stats) for the sake of money.

Get it now, or never again. Get it now, even for a character that you have not created yet, as it wont be available later on. I was supposed to know that it would look good on the next alt i make, before making the alt.

The bad part, i would have bought the item skin after i made my new alt, so the company is making less money than they should, because they made one less sale here(and a lot less sales elsewhere).

The worst part, some items(karka weapons) are account bound behind RNG boxes. Which means I have to gamble through RNG boxes, and cannot even buy one on TP. Luckily, those weapons are ugly enough to pass over.

If those special backpacks could simply be available again on next year’s release, along with new special backpacks, newcomers to the game would be very happy. Right now, all you can tell your friends is “those skins are gone, since you did not join the game yet at that time, you will never get them. Ever. Too bad so sad.”

That’s a big turn-off for new players(friends you invite to the game), which chains into them not joining the game, which leads them to other games, to which they pull you over. Therefore you lose both the new players, the old players, and the sales from both new and old players. Or just give the 1 skin available as reward during the 2 weeks of the event, then put the item on the gemstore for those who missed it.

Do you know how many sales you would make off of those? And all you are doing is good and easy. Putting a skin that’s already in the game is easy, available for those who missed it is good, in the gemstore is money.

It’s a great game in mediocre hands.

Blackmoon.6837:

For the recorded, I decided to play this game becuase ArenaNet said they were going to innovate the MMO genre. I haven’t played any other MMOs other than this franchise, so I’m not familiar with the loot mindset, but I certainly tell you that if that’s what makes the MMO genre… then that’s BULL kitten!

IMO, this mindset is an infection and needs to be destroyed.

Yep, it’s all about loot in most MMOs….it’s destroyed the whole concept of an RPG. MMORPGs focus more heavily on the MMO part than the RPG part. That’s why I haven’t found one I can stomach for any length of time.

Blackmoon.6837:

That’s not true. Again, I’m a console player and that’s mainly because the lot of games I play are geared around game play, not loot. If they can get me, then why can’t they get the hundreds of thousands of other console players?

If Anet wants to be truly innovative, then they can devise a way to move this mindset over to the game play & combat etc.

How many MMOs do you play? Because EVERY one I have is entirely gear focused. It’s all about gettin’ the next tier.

It seems to me that Guild Wars 2 tried to appeal to two groups of people initially; (1) players who were tired of the carrot chasing of “traditional” MMOs, and (2) players who disliked MMOs to begin with.

Judging from the response Arena.net has had, it sounds like Group (1) was a lot smaller than they expected, and Group (2) never really gave the game a chance because… well… they hate MMOs.

Not going to say if it is in good hands or not. But what I will say is that the game has no direction. It seems like to me the game doesn’t know what it wants to be. There is almost two sides within ANet, one wants to stick with the pre-launch plan. The other wants to make GW2 like every other MMO. It seems like the people that want to make GW2 like every other MMO is winning the battle.

Vayne.8563:

Blackmoon.6837:

For the recorded, I decided to play this game becuase ArenaNet said they were going to innovate the MMO genre. I haven’t played any other MMOs other than this franchise, so I’m not familiar with the loot mindset, but I certainly tell you that if that’s what makes the MMO genre… then that’s BULL kitten!

IMO, this mindset is an infection and needs to be destroyed.

Yep, it’s all about loot in most MMOs….it’s destroyed the whole concept of an RPG. MMORPGs focus more heavily on the MMO part than the RPG part. That’s why I haven’t found one I can stomach for any length of time.

I feel like playing a file through FF9 now… shut up with your RPG blasphemy.

Justdeifyme.9387:

The fun thing is, Guild Wars 2 has enough potential to rival WoWs place at the top of the MMO Ranks, if it would develop in the right ways through the next years

Unfortunately that ship has past us a long time ago. MMOs don’t that time anymore, they did 10 years ago, but today if you are not competing and launch, you are old news. There are couple of big new MMOs coming out next year, and that will spread out the MMO population even more.

What concerns me more is that NCSoft will not fund GW2 and treat it like a red headed stepchild because they got WildStar to worry about. Their supposed cash cow that will have subscriptions. Why would NCSoft want WildStar and GW2 to compete with each other?

This is also one of the reasons I don’t see an expansion, at least not next year.

Vaxx.3178:

Kiting a boss during a fight?

You don’t actually have to kite anything. Gearheart can be meleed, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Dragging “add mobs” onto certain things on the floor? Done in AC as well as underwater fractal. How is anything done on that path “very original” ? It isn’t.

- ooze drag. Requires an actual strategy and some thinking. Is nothing like AC endings and well as it really doesn’t feel like the jelly fight in a fractal.
- boss duo, fun fight, requires using your head and moving the ooze to clear spots without killing it
- Gearheart – the whole concept on pulling holos on him is fun, plus the punishment for failing to do so comes quite fast – floor electrifies.

If you can think of an original mechanic that they could have used in the dungeon, that was never done before, please tell us, because once again your post consists of “they’re doing it wrong”, well then you should be able to tell how to do it right.

Vaxx.3178:

I hope that Anet realizes this and 1. Makes the LS add content, permanently, or 2. Releases a content packed expansion very soon.

Both this path and previous Tequatl change are permanent.

Blackmoon.6837:

That’s not true. Again, I’m a console player and that’s mainly because the lot of games I play are geared around game play, not loot. If they can get me, then why can’t they get the hundreds of thousands of other console players?

If Anet wants to be truly innovative, then they can devise a way to move this mindset over to the game play & combat etc.

If you’re telling that they should do something, tell them exactly how they should do it. Once again all you’re saying is “I want this” and giving people running the game a near impossible task of thinking about how to do it. So if you want something, and think that you know what is better for the game, give examples of how to implement it.
People should log in because they want to find and develop their characters and not because they want loot. Okay, how do you implement that in a game with millions of players and keep them playing?

Xcom.1926:

Justdeifyme.9387:

The fun thing is, Guild Wars 2 has enough potential to rival WoWs place at the top of the MMO Ranks, if it would develop in the right ways through the next years

Unfortunately that ship has past us a long time ago. MMOs don’t that time anymore, they did 10 years ago, but today if you are not competing and launch, you are old news. There are couple of big new MMOs coming out next year, and that will spread out the MMO population even more.

What concerns me more is that NCSoft will not fund GW2 and treat it like a red headed stepchild because they got WildStar to worry about. Their supposed cash cow that will have subscriptions. Why would NCSoft want WildStar and GW2 to compete with each other?

This is also one of the reasons I don’t see an expansion, at least not next year.

Because of diversification. Look at Jagex at the moment, if RuneScape dies, they’re completely screwed. That’s not a situation you want to be in.

And I don’t think Wildstar is going to be THAT successful. The game’s design rings of WoW-in-space, and I can’t think of one MMO that did amazingly well trying to out-WoW WoW.

Xae Isareth.1364:

Xcom.1926:

Justdeifyme.9387:

The fun thing is, Guild Wars 2 has enough potential to rival WoWs place at the top of the MMO Ranks, if it would develop in the right ways through the next years

Unfortunately that ship has past us a long time ago. MMOs don’t that time anymore, they did 10 years ago, but today if you are not competing and launch, you are old news. There are couple of big new MMOs coming out next year, and that will spread out the MMO population even more.

What concerns me more is that NCSoft will not fund GW2 and treat it like a red headed stepchild because they got WildStar to worry about. Their supposed cash cow that will have subscriptions. Why would NCSoft want WildStar and GW2 to compete with each other?

This is also one of the reasons I don’t see an expansion, at least not next year.

Because of diversification. Look at Jagex at the moment, if RuneScape dies, they’re completely screwed. That’s not a situation you want to be in.

And I don’t think Wildstar is going to be THAT successful. The game’s design rings of WoW-in-space, and I can’t think of one MMO that did amazingly well trying to out-WoW WoW.

But NCSoft is already diversified, in the last quarterly call 50% of their sales were from Lineage 1. That one game that is like 15 years old had 50% of their sales.

I never said WildStar will be successful, but I do think NCSoft sees a huge money making opportunity with WildStar even in the short term.

I don’t trust NCSoft enough that I think they will make the right decision, but we will see.

^Any sensible business would never be satisfied with their current income structure and stop trying to find new sources of income.

I am not sure what this thread is meant to be about specifically, if anything, from that link, but I sure found it interesting that even positive reviews from employees listed pay as being low for the industry and a con.

Any complaints about the game aside, I think GW2 is a good game and would hate to see its staff support drop out from under it.

xephire.8324:

No its in the hands of a gold digger Carnival Barker.

/fixed.

Gold Diggers put big boobs in your face, not flash in the pan side attractions

Blackmoon.6837:

That’s not true. Again, I’m a console player and that’s mainly because the lot of games I play are geared around game play, not loot. If they can get me, then why can’t they get the hundreds of thousands of other console players?

If Anet wants to be truly innovative, then they can devise a way to move this mindset over to the game play & combat etc.

One reason is that what you can do in a console game is much less limited than what you can do in a MMO. For example, any slow-mo effects which can become popular in console games can’t really be done in a MMO.

Trying to design a MMO to be just like a console game results in a really kitten console game which neither group wants to play.

Bottom post on page 1 of the link.

We “heard”, we “listened”, we ignored attitude throughout

^We know that feel bro.

Did someone say boobs?