Guild Wars 2

I really think the temporary content is off putting.

I logged in during the fire and flame thing, did a few events, then left it for a bit. When I came back there was a whole crapton of new stuff to do, and some sort of new dungeon or something, but I only had like 2 days left to do it so I just said “meh” and logged off.

Came back for dragon bash, realize I missed half the stuff, only have a few days(?) left to do it… meh.

There’s a whole new southsun catagory on the achievements list too, something else I guess I missed completely, so… yeah

And just to make it worse, all this stuff is stacking up on the side, sort of rubbing it in YOU MISSED THIS AND CAN NEVER EVER SEE IT HA HA HA HA HA HA which makes me want to play even less.

Every time I log in and see I missed a ton of stuff it just makes me care less about the game.

Rpgtabbycat.5869:

To be honest, Temporary content is not bringing me back to GW2. I stopped playing because I was bored of the current content. It just feels pointless to come back to play some temporary event that will only last a short time and this is over and done with. After it’s over, I’ll be back to being bored.

You guys did it right when you made content for Guild Wars 1. Why aren’t you doing the same with Guild Wars 2?

This game was very fun to level up but sadly it didn’t keep my interest. Maybe if there was something added to the game that was actually a permanent part of the game, and it was added on a regular basis, I would come back.

As the game is right now, even if you release an expansion, I most likely will not buy it and most likely will not return to the game.

I’m not trying to bash GW2, just trying to provide some honest constructive criticism for the developers of the game.

This is exactly my opinion too, great post, wish i could have written it like that, temp content is not interesting me either..so i have no reason to come back, also the balancing the whole game with sPvP is another factor for me to not rejoin GW2.

Vayne.8563:

Tachenon.5270:

Vayne.8563:

I mean Anet put 30 new dynamic events into the game back in November, and on one cared at all. Hardly anyone spoke about it. So they’re trying something different.

How old was the game in November?

It was about three months old, but I don’t think that’s the point. People were complaining that there was no new content. Anet added fractals, new jumping puzzles/mini dungeons and new events. Everything got talked about but the events.

I remember thinking at one point, “Ya know, I don’t remember these rabbits being in this watermelon patch here in Queensdale. Hm. Maybe it was bugged.”

Onward and upward.

What if, once the F&F portion of the Living Story came to a close, Cragstead and that Hatchery place had not been ‘added’ (ahem) as separate instances that you have to click to enter, but as new (say it with me) ‘living world’ additions to their respective zones, each with their very own Way Points and POIs and hearts – oh my! – and everything, along with some F&F followup quests and/or wrap-up events and (gasp!) maybe even a new permanent dungeon in one or the other?

Would that have been better or worse than what we got? Would anyone have noticed? Or cared?

Basically. content like dungeons (and other really good stuff) should stay in and all achivements and skins, mini’s, items should stay available to get for as long as the game exist. Then all the problems surrounding temporary content are gone.

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

I always like phasing. You do a quest chain, follow a story line and you see the results of that story in the world. And it will always stay that way as a reminder to you.

Phasing came with some major drawbacks though, including making it harder to play with friends. So if you were on a quest chain and at a different place in the chain, you’d be seeing different stuff than your friends and they really couldn’t play with you.

Anet made intention design decisions (including downscaling) so people could play together. They simply don’t want to divide the player base any more than they have to.

True, I do agree with your point, but all this temp content is making the player base shrink. Anet needs to do something more compelling then temp content and achieve grinds…and even if phasing has its issues at least the content is compelling and worth talking about to others. Plus it will always be there for other players who ask the question: “What did I miss?” At least I can tell them and they can still do it, phasing or not.

In this scenario its like:“What did I miss?” I reply “A new cool dungeon and mini game” Them :“Oh that sounds fun, Ill go play that!” Me: “Well you cant. It was temporary” Them: Loses interest logs off.

pencapchew.5432:

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

I always like phasing. You do a quest chain, follow a story line and you see the results of that story in the world. And it will always stay that way as a reminder to you.

Phasing came with some major drawbacks though, including making it harder to play with friends. So if you were on a quest chain and at a different place in the chain, you’d be seeing different stuff than your friends and they really couldn’t play with you.

Anet made intention design decisions (including downscaling) so people could play together. They simply don’t want to divide the player base any more than they have to.

True, I do agree with your point, but all this temp content is making the player base shrink. Anet needs to do something more compelling then temp content and achieve grinds…and even if phasing has its issues at least the content is compelling and worth talking about to others. Plus it will always be there for other players who ask the question: “What did I miss?” At least I can tell them and they can still do it, phasing or not.

In this scenario its like:“What did I miss?” I reply “A new cool dungeon and mini game” Them :“Oh that sounds fun, Ill go play that!” Me: “Well you cant. It was temporary” Them: Loses interest logs off.

I’m not convinced the player base is shrinking from what I’m seeing based on overflow servers in the new content.

But of course, this kind of content pulls lots of people out of the world.

The only people who know if the game population is shrinking is Anet and I strongly suspect if this temporary content was shrinking the numbers, they’d do something different. Since they’re not, and in fact they’re doing more of it, I’d say, logically it’s been successful for them.

On what basis do you claim the number of players is shrinking?

I can see where completionists will get really frustrated, or just quit, knowing that content missed won’t be available again, but for everyone else they just need to relax and realize that more new content is on its way.

I would like it if much/most of the living story content would be accessible some way after the ‘main event’ is gone. Dungeons are a good example, but some open world events might also be applicable.

One possible way would be to make them available from some kind of hub that would give you access to past events. I recall from GW1 when Factions/Nightfall characters went back to missions that weren’t part of their story arc, they’d get message ‘you are about to relive events that occured…’. Those missions were not part of their expected story, but they still had a chance to play them.

We could have a place that was vaguelly similar to Fractals, from where you could ‘replay’ events and dungeons that have happened in the past. Some major events might not work out (like that massive event to kill the karka boss at the end of original Southsun event) and some open world living story parts might be a bit questionable, for example the whole refugee storyline.

The latter might still be possible through a system similar to how overflow servers work – by allowing people to access to ‘overflow maps’ that were set into earlier point in history of Tyria.

I’ve no idea how many people would agree or disagree, but personally I’d love to have the opportunity to make a party with a few friends and say, ‘lets go back to play the molten alliance storyline this weekend’. I don’t see how it would hurt anyone to make that possible. It would seem like a rather unique twist to keep doing living story events, and have some hub with portals that you could use to step into some part of past history of Tyria. The ‘present’ world would have new events rolling in, and new players – or those who missed an event, or just wanted to replay it – would have a chance to replay one.

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

I always like phasing. You do a quest chain, follow a story line and you see the results of that story in the world. And it will always stay that way as a reminder to you.

Phasing came with some major drawbacks though, including making it harder to play with friends. So if you were on a quest chain and at a different place in the chain, you’d be seeing different stuff than your friends and they really couldn’t play with you.

Anet made intention design decisions (including downscaling) so people could play together. They simply don’t want to divide the player base any more than they have to.

True, I do agree with your point, but all this temp content is making the player base shrink. Anet needs to do something more compelling then temp content and achieve grinds…and even if phasing has its issues at least the content is compelling and worth talking about to others. Plus it will always be there for other players who ask the question: “What did I miss?” At least I can tell them and they can still do it, phasing or not.

In this scenario its like:“What did I miss?” I reply “A new cool dungeon and mini game” Them :“Oh that sounds fun, Ill go play that!” Me: “Well you cant. It was temporary” Them: Loses interest logs off.

I’m not convinced the player base is shrinking from what I’m seeing based on overflow servers in the new content.

But of course, this kind of content pulls lots of people out of the world.

The only people who know if the game population is shrinking is Anet and I strongly suspect if this temporary content was shrinking the numbers, they’d do something different. Since they’re not, and in fact they’re doing more of it, I’d say, logically it’s been successful for them.

On what basis do you claim the number of players is shrinking?

I don’t know if people actually like the content or are they being pressured into it because of how short of a time its going to be around?

I do not have the numbers or anything like that. I should be more clear by what I mean by shrinking player base.

If Anet keeps up the temp content I could see it causing issues with people actually returning to the game. Because real life can get in the way, some players cant be on every week. I would just see this causing people to loose interest is all.,thus a shrinking player base.

I am sure at Dragon events and where the temp content tells you where to go there are a lot of players around, and even your server will tell you that you have a High count.
I am looking at the future of the game, and if they keep up with temp content it is going to hurt the game, and population.

Draven.7210:

“Let’s face it, permanent static content gets boring/stale and then abandoned to gather dust.” is exactly what you said! Am I to take from this you want permanent content then?

Yes, I did say that…in the context of that is exactly what would happen if they just kept dropping the living story stuff into the game and leaving it. I supported my argument for temporary content with current in games issues (citing dungeons, alt unfriendliness), and could further expound upon it here, even citing the issue as it stands in other games as well, but I won’t. However, if you’d read the last paragraph at all, you would see where I imply the some static content is still welcome.

You’re going on about festival events as if they should be around year long? I never said anything about festivals and of kittening course it wouldn’t make sense to have those year round!

I’m talking about things like Molten Alliance and stuff like that! That should be clear….seriously wtf…..

Dragon Bash was simply an example. Yes, it will come back next year because it is a festival; however, the point was that events (like festivals) happen and then go away. Sometimes they recur (like a birthday), sometimes they don’t (like a sweet 16 party, you’re only 16 once). I did close with stating that Living story is not the be all, end all answer to all issues in the game. Followed by everything cannot, and should not be temporary and that lasting effects are required. I have also stated that those lasting effects need not be huge each time, since not all events have a dramatic impact on the world. Some are very subtle, and this is how it should be in game. A mixture of static, and temporary, of dramatic and subtle.

Events like these will have to be adjusted in some ways so they don’t conflict with the evolving world, but there’s no reason why the instanced parts can’t still remain including dungeons!

Considering we blew up the dungeon at the end of it, how would it’s remaining in the world not be a direct contradiction to the story component it added? I guess I could see leaving an exportable destroyed version in the world, but that isn’t what you are asking for. Sure, I suppose we could go back to instancing everything, segregate the player base some more while we’re at it, but that’s ok. As long as everyone can have what they desire and to kitten with that Anet is trying to create.

As for these forums, they really are awful. People like me want the game to keep what’s made it fun and build on what’s being done to make the game better for others. So many people selfishly resisting just because they don’t want it or don’t believe it’s needed because they don’t need it. Even though it doesn’t interfere with their experience at all.

I want the game to become a living world. I like where it is going, and I can see where Anet is going with it. I think its great. Yes, I liked the MF dungeon. Yes, I would do it again should it return in some form or another (fractals map has already been suggested by some, and even hinted at by Colin); however, in the living world premise, I understand that to leave it in would be contradictory to what they are trying to do.

So no, I’m not against keeping the game fun. I’m not against building it into something amazing. My view on it is just different than yours, and I can appreciate what the developers are trying to do. I guess if that makes me an awful person, then you can just call me Queen Kitten.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

Considering we blew up the dungeon at the end of it, how would it’s remaining in the world not be a direct contradiction to the story component it added?

Did you visit Orr after it was supposedly cleansed? Notice much of a change? How is that not a direct contradiction of an already existing story component?

And heck, what about the Dynamic Events that keep repeating and repeating as though we didn’t just take care of that exact problem an hour ago?

Considering all the other ways that the world contradicts itself already, I just don’t think it makes sense for people to insist that Living World content has to be temporary.

pencapchew.5432:

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

Vayne.8563:

pencapchew.5432:

I always like phasing. You do a quest chain, follow a story line and you see the results of that story in the world. And it will always stay that way as a reminder to you.

Phasing came with some major drawbacks though, including making it harder to play with friends. So if you were on a quest chain and at a different place in the chain, you’d be seeing different stuff than your friends and they really couldn’t play with you.

Anet made intention design decisions (including downscaling) so people could play together. They simply don’t want to divide the player base any more than they have to.

True, I do agree with your point, but all this temp content is making the player base shrink. Anet needs to do something more compelling then temp content and achieve grinds…and even if phasing has its issues at least the content is compelling and worth talking about to others. Plus it will always be there for other players who ask the question: “What did I miss?” At least I can tell them and they can still do it, phasing or not.

In this scenario its like:“What did I miss?” I reply “A new cool dungeon and mini game” Them :“Oh that sounds fun, Ill go play that!” Me: “Well you cant. It was temporary” Them: Loses interest logs off.

I’m not convinced the player base is shrinking from what I’m seeing based on overflow servers in the new content.

But of course, this kind of content pulls lots of people out of the world.

The only people who know if the game population is shrinking is Anet and I strongly suspect if this temporary content was shrinking the numbers, they’d do something different. Since they’re not, and in fact they’re doing more of it, I’d say, logically it’s been successful for them.

On what basis do you claim the number of players is shrinking?

I don’t know if people actually like the content or are they being pressured into it because of how short of a time its going to be around?

I do not have the numbers or anything like that. I should be more clear by what I mean by shrinking player base.

If Anet keeps up the temp content I could see it causing issues with people actually returning to the game. Because real life can get in the way, some players cant be on every week. I would just see this causing people to loose interest is all.,thus a shrinking player base.

I am sure at Dragon events and where the temp content tells you where to go there are a lot of players around, and even your server will tell you that you have a High count.
I am looking at the future of the game, and if they keep up with temp content it is going to hurt the game, and population.

Temporary content to casual players (not completionists) means that when they do log in there’s always something new to do. You can see it as this content is no longer there so I missed it, or you can see it as I didn’t miss it because it’s not there now.

I mean I don’t think casuals are achievement point conscious…they’re not trying to get on the high scores. They just get some nice bonuses. The more casual you are, the slower the progress in getting chests for dailies but so what? You’ll get there when you get there…that’s the casual attitude.

Guild Wars 2 is doing something very new here in the MMO space and I don’t think anyone can say how it’ll work out in the long term.

Vayne.8563:

Temporary content to casual players (not completionists) means that when they do log in there’s always something new to do.

But the content doesn’t have to be temporary to to accomplish this.

I honestly don’t understand how, if ANet sticks to its 2-week content release schedule, there won’t always be something new for you to do whether the previous release is removed from the game or not. If you want something new to do, then do the new stuff. Problem sorted.

Why must someone else be denied the opportunity to complete content at their own pace in order for some people to enjoy the game? Does it really suck all the fun out of playing new chapters to know that someone else may be doing an earlier one?

minbariguy.7504:

Vayne.8563:

Temporary content to casual players (not completionists) means that when they do log in there’s always something new to do.

But the content doesn’t have to be temporary to to accomplish this.

I honestly don’t understand how, if ANet sticks to its 2-week content release schedule, there won’t always be something new for you to do whether the previous release is removed from the game or not. If you want something new to do, then do the new stuff. Problem sorted.

Why must someone else be denied the opportunity to complete content at their own pace in order for some people to enjoy the game? Does it really suck all the fun out of playing new chapters to know that someone else may be doing an earlier one?

The problem would only be sorted if the old achievements were all unreachable. If they were all on the table, MOST people would be completely overwhelmed. It could literally paralyze them…stop them from playing the game.

The question is, and has always been, how many people will leave the game because of temporary content and how many would leave the game long term if it was all permanent.

I personally think more people will leave the game due to the latter than the former…and Anet has a vested interest in how many will leave the game.

Vayne.8563:

The question is, and has always been, how many people will leave the game because of temporary content and how many would leave the game long term if it was all permanent.

I think you’re right on track with this statement. It really will have to be a numbers game. I know that I’m one who hasn’t logged into the game in quite some time and feel actively pushed away from this game because of the Living World temporary content. I’m not a completionist, just a slow and casual explorer, and feeling rushed to complete content on a deadline completely ruins it for me.

Vayne.8563:

I personally think more people will leave the game due to the latter than the former…and Anet has a vested interest in how many will leave the game.

Well I’m only one person, and if it turns out that I’m in the minority here and the vast majority of players really do want this temporary content, then I will just have to accept that and move on. No need for an excess of drama, I’ll simply find a game more to my liking, is all.