I think it is clear to everyone right now that guild wars 2 is in quite the pickle as of the past 6 months, if not even longer. Major problems discussed mostly include lack of content, disconnect from the community, and unclear future goals. I feel like fixing these problems would be near impossible because really there is no short term fix that will create a long term effect, and as of right now time is not on Arenanet’s side.
If there is one thing everyone can agree on— there are specific instances in content that really brings joy to the individuals. Delivering what everyone wants is impossible, but it is up to the player to find their niche. All MMOs are the same in that aspect whether it be questing or PVP, or maybe progression in raiding. This expansion has really been an eye opener for both devs and players alike. It shows the capabilities of how successful and detrimental content can really end up being. This all started with the price tag of the content, and thus the rioting of the forums/reddit began. HoT hands down has more saturation of content than the core game, but lets be clear here— saturation does not mask the small corner of the jungle it takes up. Disagree with the price point arrogance on Arenanet’s part, but lets not sink into a biased opinion and call the content rushed or just plain bad because of our sour wallets.
So what is with the topic title? Really I think this is where all of this mess started. Living world seasons have clearly shown the worst company decisions ever made. HoT is an amazing game, but really we all feel shorthanded because of how it is being delivered. Putting aside holiday events like Christmas etc, how much content has been released and then taken out of the game? Well I decided to make a list of content that includes maps, dungeons, or living events, but I am not including town activities that are just story bits… ( going to separate living world into pieces because I feel calling it one content piece is just wrong)
-Flame and Frost living world events
-Sky Pirates of Tyria story dungeon
-Bazaar of the four winds map + events
-Queens Jubilee/Arena
-Super Adventure box + back to school return
-Tower of nightmares + dungeon instances
-Origins of Madness – World boss +instances
-Escape from Lion’s Arch event
-Battle for Lion’s Arch event + Breachmaker fight
And many more..
Honestly seeing all this content makes it feel larger than the expansion itself, and this doesn’t even include the little lore pieces added between them. The game has become very linear in where the end game is, but when all of these different things were around it always felt like there were places you could go with exciting things happening.
I understand the need to feel like the world is changing, but the game development is worthless if content is just scrapped. We’ve reached a point where everyone is now seeing the detrimental effects of living world. Content is temporary and time creating that is wasted. HoT would have been a full expansion if you included this list, but it was all scrapped for immersion. It is no wonder the Devs feel like the expansion is content filled; they are seeing this whole process as part of a big plan, and for them there is never lack of anything. As a player however it is just ripples of content with a slice of an expansion. This is where the disconnect with the community comes from; as a developer you may see work all the time and it feels like there is always something changing or being made, but as a player we don’t get that feeling— it is just waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and releasing temporary content, taking it away, and waiting once again.
Enough with the hype trains and mystery futures the game holds. It is always “we can’t talk about this just yet”, “there is a surprise in store”, “there is more to come” etc. Temporary content, including living world DOES — NOT — WORK. It has become evident to everyone that spoonfeeding is never going to work, playing ignorant to adventure box ever returning is pushing people away, the legendary weapon promise is pushing people away, the WvW changes that “are coming” is pushing people away. Arenanet needs to stop living in the past and focus on the future. You wanted a living world, but it isn’t a living world if the game soon becomes a ghost town. You don’t need temporary worlds for immersion! Immersion is created when a player becomes invested in the world. We aren’t 5 years old, we understand the world changes as the story progresses-- you don’t need to take away content to prove that! Know what makes any game fun? When you can play it again. How many games did you play as a kid where you had tons of save files just so you could replay the cool parts again? Well not in this game, that year of content is GONE— forever. Living world? That is a dying world.
I myself missed much of the content because it left so quickly; I never got to experience it all again. Sure we have season 2 story on save, but that is about it. I apologize if this sounds a little too ranty, but everyone I used to play with has left the game. They all left for the same reasons, all of the above. What is the point of all of this, why is so much held back from the player? Why are such ridiculous limits placed on content? I say all of this because I always supported this community, but really I don’t want to waste my time if this continues. Quit trying to fill everyones needs and just let people find their own niche. Bring all the content back!— as players who supported you through everywhere, we deserve it.