Guild Wars 2

GW2 has its own little niche in the MMO world. It’s nearly perfect to me: all the lore, the beauty, characters, story, gameplay everything about the game is amazing, and it is a very unique game. I cherish this uniqueness, this decision by Anet to take the road less traveled, and be different. But I have been very nervous, even since launch, because of all the people who came to GW2 looking for things that they thought were supposed to be in every MMO that they didn’t find. I’ve seen people try to rally support to make Anet “fix” what is “missing” or change what is “stupid” and/or “unnecessary,” and honestly, I hope these people find interest in other MMOs, because I don’t want them here, and neither does anyone else who came into GW2 with a fresh, clear mind, not tainted with thoughts of what an MMO is supposed to be, or what it’s supposed to have.

A response from Anet assuring me that they will continue to develop their game completely in their own, unique image, whether it be with maps, more lore, story, features, classes, skills, you name it, would make my day
You may call me crazy, and yes I’ll admit not everything a dev will do will be perfect, which is where constructive criticism is embraced. But there is a fine line between constructive criticism and someone trying to change the game to their own image, and lately, I’ve seen a lot more of the latter, which makes me very sad, and lets be honest, the latter is not what made GW2 the number one game of 2012, or what continues to make it so successful. So those people should can it, go somewhere far, far away, and let Anet work their magic, like they’ve been doing

Just my two cents for the day lol

Without ’those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

There are some people who want to see the game improve. There are also some people who just want to see this game fail.

I love the hell outta some GW2, but I ain’t gonna lie, sometimes in dungeons, even often I’d say, I miss the hell out of healing.

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

Untrue, at least in the case of spectator mode. Guild Wars 1 had spectator mode and it was always intended to be in Guild Wars 2…it just didn’t get in at launch.

And I’m relatively sure Fractals was planned before launch too. Anet has said ascended gear was planned before launch and never made it into the game.

Not sure if the ranks in WvW were planned or not, there’s no way to know.

I understand you completely, OP. This game fits my play style almost perfectly and it’s obviously the intention of the devs to appeal to people in my demographic…and the criticism I’ve seen or some of the suggestions about how to “improve” the game would gut it from my point of view.

But I think Anet knows what they’re looking to do, and I expect you and I will still be enjoying the game long after those who want a different game have moved on.

I strongly believe there are more than enough of “us” out there.

I dont mind if it takes some things from the MMO cliche book, but I want it to avoid the major annoyances and failures. Cluttured screens, world isolation, a reliance on cash stores. So far so good though. I feel like I can enjoy the view, I dont feel like I am stuck somewhere and cant explore, and I havent spent a dime since purchasing the game. Been playing DCU, and I am reminded of many of GW2’s imrpovements on the MMO genre.

You have reassurance from this past week, where A.Net came out and stated:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/living-world-in-guild-wars-2/
When we decided to make Guild Wars 2, we wanted to make something unique and different; we didn’t want to make the same MMO you’ve been playing for all these years. As a live game, we want to continue to build on that goal, to take the core concepts that inspired GW2 from the start and see if we can push the boundaries and explore even further what they can mean in the MMO space.

So, there’s your assurance, original poster. Your worries can be lessened now. Enjoy your holiday weekend (if you’re in the US).

There are many things in the game that I find missing, but I won’t leave it because it’s bought already so… :P

Vayne.8563:

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

Untrue, at least in the case of spectator mode. Guild Wars 1 had spectator mode and it was always intended to be in Guild Wars 2…it just didn’t get in at launch.

And I’m relatively sure Fractals was planned before launch too. Anet has said ascended gear was planned before launch and never made it into the game.

Not sure if the ranks in WvW were planned or not, there’s no way to know.

Untrue again, spectator mode was intended but without the pressure of the PvP-Forum it would have been introduced months later. Especially in the case of PvP those critical players are really needed. Also balanced changes for PvP are based on feedback (most of this feedback is written in a negative way).
I don’t know how it is in PvE as I’m not into it, but for PvP the critical players make the difference, not the agreeing ones.

Empathetic Fighter.2065:

Vayne.8563:

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

Untrue, at least in the case of spectator mode. Guild Wars 1 had spectator mode and it was always intended to be in Guild Wars 2…it just didn’t get in at launch.

And I’m relatively sure Fractals was planned before launch too. Anet has said ascended gear was planned before launch and never made it into the game.

Not sure if the ranks in WvW were planned or not, there’s no way to know.

Untrue again, spectator mode was intended but without the pressure of the PvP-Forum it would have been introduced months later. Especially in the case of PvP those critical players are really needed. Also balanced changes for PvP are based on feedback (most of this feedback is written in a negative way).
I don’t know how it is in PvE as I’m not into it, but for PvP the critical players make the difference, not the agreeing ones.

You have no evidence that it would have been introduced months later, because it was announced before the game launched. You simply are saying you BELIEVE it got released early.

I’ve never seen evidence that Anet releases anything until they CHOOSE to release it. Because it’s always been planned, because it was mentioned before launch, because it existed in the previous incarnation of the game, I can’t see how you can prove that it came out sooner than it would have.

In fact, I think coming out when it did is pretty much when they thought it would likely come out.

Vayne.8563:

Empathetic Fighter.2065:

Vayne.8563:

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

Untrue, at least in the case of spectator mode. Guild Wars 1 had spectator mode and it was always intended to be in Guild Wars 2…it just didn’t get in at launch.

And I’m relatively sure Fractals was planned before launch too. Anet has said ascended gear was planned before launch and never made it into the game.

Not sure if the ranks in WvW were planned or not, there’s no way to know.

Untrue again, spectator mode was intended but without the pressure of the PvP-Forum it would have been introduced months later. Especially in the case of PvP those critical players are really needed. Also balanced changes for PvP are based on feedback (most of this feedback is written in a negative way).
I don’t know how it is in PvE as I’m not into it, but for PvP the critical players make the difference, not the agreeing ones.

You have no evidence that it would have been introduced months later, because it was announced before the game launched. You simply are saying you BELIEVE it got released early.

I’ve never seen evidence that Anet releases anything until they CHOOSE to release it. Because it’s always been planned, because it was mentioned before launch, because it existed in the previous incarnation of the game, I can’t see how you can prove that it came out sooner than it would have.

In fact, I think coming out when it did is pretty much when they thought it would likely come out.

They mentioned it in a SOTG, that’s why. They said they see the playerbase want this future the most so they put their focus on CA’s to be released asap.

Don’t be nervous! the devs have grit and determination, and I think they’ll stick. The aim of this game wasn’t to break the MMO market’s back and destroy all other MMOs. It can exist alongside them perfectly well in its own niche. Other players who suggest changes that see to guide it back towards traditional MMOs are trying to help, but I think sometimes confuse being successful with being at the top of the charts constantly. GW2 can be a wonderful leader for MMOs for the casual gamer, for instance, and never be considered a "hardcore MMO’. But it didn’t set out to achieve that. So the success is there.

And there are more than plenty of the more RPG or casual or less hardcore (however you want to label us) out there to support this game. We’re just, well, more casual about it, lol.

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

I could live without fractals and ascended kitten. Easily.

OP, I’m with you all the way.

@Peetee Fractals are exactly the kind of thing that make me nervous. I ducked out of the game for several months after they introduced the dungeon with a mandatory grind to get BiS gear. Fractals are the biggest symbol of “those people” in my mind.

@CrossedHorse GW2 is extremely casual… if you’re mostly into PvE. This what I haven’t understood since launch. People seem to be baffled that the company ARENANet would put out a game where endgame is pretty much PvP (And c’mon, WvW is a form of PvP). GW1 was the same way till EotN released and they needed things to tide folks over till GW2 released. If anything, what keeps PvEers away from sPvP is that sPvP is too hardcore for most.

@OP I didn’t get to listen since I’m at work, but I followed you. You can scope me out at soundcloud.com/00nothing

Klawlyt.6507:

OP, I’m with you all the way.

@Peetee Fractals are exactly the kind of thing that make me nervous. I ducked out of the game for several months after they introduced the dungeon with a mandatory grind to get BiS gear. Fractals are the biggest symbol of “those people” in my mind.

@CrossedHorse GW2 is extremely casual… if you’re mostly into PvE. This what I haven’t understood since launch. People seem to be baffled that the company ARENANet would put out a game where endgame is pretty much PvP (And c’mon, WvW is a form of PvP). GW1 was the same way till EotN released and they needed things to tide folks over till GW2 released. If anything, what keeps PvEers away from sPvP is that sPvP is too hardcore for most.

@OP I didn’t get to listen since I’m at work, but I followed you. You can scope me out at soundcloud.com/00nothing

I know what you mean about the PvP – don’t ever really stray over that way myself, so I don’t know about it being hardcore or not. I suspect it is, if the post re class balance etc are anything to judge by. However I think WvW can be extremely casual-friendly. I would also probably argue that end-game isn’t determined by PvP. I think the more “hardcore” gamers have MADE it end-game because they find the PvE is lacking in this area, but the more casual gamers might argue (not all of them) that the PvE game itself IS end-game. So I guess it depends on which stance you take. I certainly don’t plan on making PvP my end-game. I actually think we need to get out of this idea of end-game completely, in fact.

And that’s the real magic of WvW. It manages to keep hardcore well occupied while still providing a nice casual friendly playground. I’m not saying WvW is quite perfect, but it’s the reason I’m here. Maybe it was just my impression, but it seemed to me pre-launch that the devs were kind of nudging everyone into the WvW is endgame mentality. Of course, they also kept saying that endgame begins at level 1. So there’s that.

As for sPvP, I think it intimidates quite a few people. On one hand it was brilliant to make sPvP its own thing separate thing, but on the other, there’s a pretty clear wall there that most folks don’t want to bother to cross (or take the portal through).

I’m with you on doing away with the concept of endgame thing though. WoW’s endgame is what made me buy Guild Wars in the first place.

Peetee.9406:

Without ‘those people’ you wouldn’t have ranks in WvW, spectator mode in sPvP or fractals.

And that’d be a bad thing how….?

You’re also lying about PvP spectating…they had nothing to do with that being added, we had full spectating out the wazoo in Gw1. We could actually watch demos of matches that happened days earlier infact. It was better than Tivo

Klawlyt.6507:

And that’s the real magic of WvW. It manages to keep hardcore well occupied while still providing a nice casual friendly playground. I’m not saying WvW is quite perfect, but it’s the reason I’m here. Maybe it was just my impression, but it seemed to me pre-launch that the devs were kind of nudging everyone into the WvW is endgame mentality. Of course, they also kept saying that endgame begins at level 1. So there’s that.

As for sPvP, I think it intimidates quite a few people. On one hand it was brilliant to make sPvP its own thing separate thing, but on the other, there’s a pretty clear wall there that most folks don’t want to bother to cross (or take the portal through).

I’m with you on doing away with the concept of endgame thing though. WoW’s endgame is what made me buy Guild Wars in the first place.

Yeah, end-game begins at level 1 and the whole game is end-game are two ways of saying there isn’t any end-game because you’re already there. That is, the game is the game and you keep playing that game and there’s nothing to prevent you doing that. I can see what ANet were going for there, but I can see why it’s got people who have come to expect “end-game” up in arms about it. We need to learn to adjust to the fact that sometimes playing the game for the sake of playing the game really is its own reward … that WILL be difficult, but I think ANet needs to be strong on this one. People will adapt or they won’t, and then things will settle down.

CrossedHorse.4261:

Yeah, end-game begins at level 1 and the whole game is end-game are two ways of saying there isn’t any end-game because you’re already there. That is, the game is the game and you keep playing that game and there’s nothing to prevent you doing that. I can see what ANet were going for there, but I can see why it’s got people who have come to expect “end-game” up in arms about it. We need to learn to adjust to the fact that sometimes playing the game for the sake of playing the game really is its own reward … that WILL be difficult, but I think ANet needs to be strong on this one. People will adapt or they won’t, and then things will settle down.

/signed

I’ve been nervous since November. Welcome to the team. I used to be a fan, now just a nervous spectator.

Saelune.5316:

I dont mind if it takes some things from the MMO cliche book, but I want it to avoid the major annoyances and failures. Cluttured screens, world isolation, a reliance on cash stores. So far so good though. I feel like I can enjoy the view, I dont feel like I am stuck somewhere and cant explore, and I havent spent a dime since purchasing the game. Been playing DCU, and I am reminded of many of GW2’s imrpovements on the MMO genre.

That’s how I feel too. I like to try other MMOs that are either new or that I used to play to see how they are now compared to when I played them, and I say with great confidence, GW2 has yet to lose the shine that keeps me addicted, and I think it’s largely due to the fact that Anet did not make their MMO like others on the market, because the typical market formula right now is aimed at lazy , entitlement addicts who want rewards and no game, when really, people are slowly starting to shift from that, and back into the group of people who want to play a real game, where they have to try hard, figure things out, and actually play to, well, play.

Hopefully, Anet continues in the direction they started. I said “almost perfect” in my OP because it is true that in little amounts, Anet has gone a bit in the wrong direction, like with how atm, they’re giving a little too much information in their event previews, kind of spoiling some of what we like to discover and find for ourselves. But, as long as people with their heads on straight exist, Anet wont let us down