Guild Wars 2

Long post but will be broken into sections for convenience.

I started off playing GW2 because I wanted something I could progress in and it would provide a nice change of pace from my competitive first-person shooter days. For the most part, this was all well and good. Getting exotic gear, exploring the maps, and eventually jumping into some WvW and PvP.

Fast forward to present day, I look back and enjoy several of the updates we got but nothing was lasting. Its an obvious issue with GW2 that has been brought up dozens of times that there simply isn’t enough permanent content. We keep getting promised with more but it never comes.

So since talking directly with a developer is rather hard and often gets me nowhere, I figured I would finally get around to posting to hear what you guys think…

Here are a few things people in my guild of 400+ active members have wondered/asked about on a (what feels like) daily basis. That means these are topics that come up all the time and aren’t just my personal wishlist.

1. A guild update. There needs to be an overhaul or improvement to the UI. Increased permissions, more guild missions, more mission types, a possible in-game lottery system, guild commander pins (for missions or havoc groups in WvW) that only members of the guild can see, and more. People want to do more things as a guild than just once a week missions or havoc in WvW.

2. In part to the guild update, it would be nice to see instanced, PvE content that 20-30 players can do. Think of larger dungeons or something like a “raid” from other MMO’s.

3. More skins. The amount of armor and weapon choices are pretty slim. Its nice to see some get added with certain living stories but I feel like its not quite enough.

4. A new set of legendary weapons and possibly legendary armor. New weapons that don’t involve rainbows or bright flowers would be great. Giving the legendary weapons “styles” would be nice too. Kind of like a male/female version. Precursor crafting would also need to to arrive at the same time to prevent the trading post from fluctuating too much. This could all go into the same update and the art team could have a LOT of fun with different posters and trailers for it.

5. Animations. The animations for some skills need to be reworked to make sure the game is more about skill and not button mashing. If a player can see an arrow being drawn a different way and know to dodge it, they should be rewarded for this (by not taking damage). The most recent example is the change to longbow, pin-down for Warrior that is being changed that will show a bit of a white aura around the arrow. This is a great step towards more competitive play.

6. New maps. Bazaar of the Four Winds was one of the most successful updates. There was a lot to do to keep everyone happy. It introduced a fun activity, had plenty of new skins, a new map, and more. The worst part though? It didn’t last long. On top of the new maps, there would obviously have to be new mob types, possibly a new world boss, and then consider the zone’s level (1-80, and if it would upscale you).

I realize what it takes to program this sort of thing as I’m a programmer myself. The above listed topics are simply questions I hear and see all the time and would like a somewhat definitive answer other than “its being worked on”. Implementing all of the above, let alone just one, is a TON of work. It can’t be done in a week or even a month but I feel these topics were coming up enough that I should post about it in hopes of getting some kind of answer from a member of the developer team.

Blackarps.1974:

Long post but will be broken into sections for convenience.

I started off playing GW2 because I wanted something I could progress in and it would provide a nice change of pace from my competitive first-person shooter days. For the most part, this was all well and good. Getting exotic gear, exploring the maps, and eventually jumping into some WvW and PvP.

Fast forward to present day, I look back and enjoy several of the updates we got but nothing was lasting. Its an obvious issue with GW2 that has been brought up dozens of times that there simply isn’t enough permanent content. We keep getting promised with more but it never comes.

So since talking directly with a developer is rather hard and often gets me nowhere, I figured I would finally get around to posting to hear what you guys think…

Here are a few things people in my guild of 400+ active members have wondered/asked about on a (what feels like) daily basis. That means these are topics that come up all the time and aren’t just my personal wishlist.

1. A guild update. There needs to be an overhaul or improvement to the UI. Increased permissions, more guild missions, more mission types, a possible in-game lottery system, guild commander pins (for missions or havoc groups in WvW) that only members of the guild can see, and more. People want to do more things as a guild than just once a week missions or havoc in WvW.

2. In part to the guild update, it would be nice to see instanced, PvE content that 20-30 players can do. Think of larger dungeons or something like a “raid” from other MMO’s.

3. More skins. The amount of armor and weapon choices are pretty slim. Its nice to see some get added with certain living stories but I feel like its not quite enough.

4. A new set of legendary weapons and possibly legendary armor. New weapons that don’t involve rainbows or bright flowers would be great. Giving the legendary weapons “styles” would be nice too. Kind of like a male/female version. Precursor crafting would also need to to arrive at the same time to prevent the trading post from fluctuating too much. This could all go into the same update and the art team could have a LOT of fun with different posters and trailers for it.

5. Animations. The animations for some skills need to be reworked to make sure the game is more about skill and not button mashing. If a player can see an arrow being drawn a different way and know to dodge it, they should be rewarded for this (by not taking damage). The most recent example is the change to longbow, pin-down for Warrior that is being changed that will show a bit of a white aura around the arrow. This is a great step towards more competitive play.

6. New maps. Bazaar of the Four Winds was one of the most successful updates. There was a lot to do to keep everyone happy. It introduced a fun activity, had plenty of new skins, a new map, and more. The worst part though? It didn’t last long. On top of the new maps, there would obviously have to be new mob types, possibly a new world boss, and then consider the zone’s level (1-80, and if it would upscale you).

I realize what it takes to program this sort of thing as I’m a programmer myself. The above listed topics are simply questions I hear and see all the time and would like a somewhat definitive answer other than “its being worked on”. Implementing all of the above, let alone just one, is a TON of work. It can’t be done in a week or even a month but I feel these topics were coming up enough that I should post about it in hopes of getting some kind of answer from a member of the developer team.

Most of the points above are adressed to be under work and knowing Anet, everything takes a while but hopefully we will see alot of those things implemented soon.

Nice to see people posting feedback instead of going around the forums hating or inkittening people.

Yeah. I’ve heard the same responses for months now (I actually put off making a legendary since last September in hopes of a new set coming out. Just last week though, I got tired of waiting and made Twilight). It would be great to get some kind of update as to where precisely things are going. Obviously, for competition and business reasons, they can’t go into great detail about certain things but some answers would be nice. I’ve got a lot of people leaving the game right now for D3 simply because GW2 doesn’t hold their interests anymore.

I’m always here to help make GW2 a better game! Thanks for the kind response.

I’ve been playing MMORPGS for as long as I can remember. I don’t think there is a single western title I haven’t played. I’ve yet to find a single MMO without its problems and complaints. It used to bother me. I would be enjoying a game and then go on the forums to hear people complain about this, or that, and it would completely change my perspective of the game. I guess, I was easily influenced by the opinion of others when it came to games. I was always searching for that perfect game. I think Ultima Online is to blame for that, since I will never find a game to fill its shoes. But, I’ve since come to terms with that. My life is very different than it was then and that has a lot to do with how I enjoy games now.

Guild Wars 2 isn’t for everybody. But, it does a number of things very well. The communication with the developers is one of the best on a community level. It may not seem great to some people, but when you compare it to games like Darkfall Online- Its superb. Don’t get me wrong, are there changes I would like to see in the game? Absolutely. I would love to see new guild features and I wouldn’t object to buying an expansion.

What I’m trying to say is from a general perspective, GW2 is a phenomenal MMO when compared to whats out there right now. Its all subjective really. But, I’m really enjoying it.

You would be happy to know that just about all of your points are noted by the Devs and are being worked on. I also like that they inform us on what they’re not currently working on as well. Its a nice change of pace.

Very true, Khang. There are lots of things I think GW2 does well (that’s why I’m still playing it!). The other topic of the team talking to us is true as well. Its all about perspective though as you said. Compared to some communities, the amount of responses from the team is amazing but others, it seems really lacking.

The point I’m going for in this post is to put a bunch of ideas and concerns I hear all the time all into one post. This should help the development team move forward and hopefully come here and address specifically as possible what is going on behind closed doors without them getting in trouble. A lot of people also tend to think that the one issue that bothers them the most is the single thing that should be worked on and NOW. This is just not the case. The development team has to go in the direction of the entire community as a whole and do what they think is in the best interests of their product and its customers. Anet is a company, they have to make money as well so keeping customers happy is a big part of this (as it is with any company). Anet relies on the direct sales of GW2 + the gem store to turn profits for them. If they don’t hold interests among GW2 players, the players will leave, gem store sales will drop, and Anet will have to find alternative ways to stay in business.

What future?

Blackarps.1974:

Yeah. I’ve heard the same responses for months now (I actually put off making a legendary since last September in hopes of a new set coming out. Just last week though, I got tired of waiting and made Twilight). It would be great to get some kind of update as to where precisely things are going. Obviously, for competition and business reasons, they can’t go into great detail about certain things but some answers would be nice. I’ve got a lot of people leaving the game right now for D3 simply because GW2 doesn’t hold their interests anymore.

I’m always here to help make GW2 a better game! Thanks for the kind response.

Well, GW2 will always be there for the returning player-base xD

Regarding an announcment, Anet stated that they will announce ‘’state of game’’ shortly after the ending of LS1, including information about the upcoming feature patch and more detail regarding Anet’s projects and what is to be awaited.

Being a RAD, the speed of development is typical for a poor I.T department where they use the excuses of “analysis” and “proper cycles” for delays….

Suppose the continuous attitude of poor developers keeps me employed.

The end of the living story for me was rather anti-climatic and sad. A cutscene that wouldn’t load for me, and a lame epilogue of meaningless babble in a seedy bar. The end of Zhaitan/ personal story had more feeling than that, atleast it felt sorta like a party. LA is in ruins and none of the NPCs seem to care or have much to say, nobody really seems concerned an Elder dragon may have woke up, so really why should I care either?
Everything I have read about any new content seems so vague and wishy washy, like its a big secret. I don’t really see anything atm to get excited about. So I guess things go back to normal, grind the same old dungeons/ fractals, re-explore the same old maps, switch back and forth between the same old toons . Do some pvp/wvw or hop in the champ train and do the mindless zerg in quest for gold.
The living story was a big reason I kept coming back, but now its gone, boredom is going to get the best of me. I love the game for many reasons and don’t really want to find entertainment elsewhere, but sadly I have already started downloading other second rate free to play games, to keep me amused. My days spent in GW are going to be fewer and fewer, and I will regain a new interest if and when this so called “future” gets here.

Unknownhero.6745:

The end of the living story for me was rather anti-climatic and sad. A cutscene that wouldn’t load for me, and a lame epilogue of meaningless babble in a seedy bar. The end of Zhaitan/ personal story had more feeling than that, atleast it felt sorta like a party. LA is in ruins and none of the NPCs seem to care or have much to say, nobody really seems concerned an Elder dragon may have woke up, so really why should I care either?
Everything I have read about any new content seems so vague and wishy washy, like its a big secret. I don’t really see anything atm to get excited about. So I guess things go back to normal, grind the same old dungeons/ fractals, re-explore the same old maps, switch back and forth between the same old toons . Do some pvp/wvw or hop in the champ train and do the mindless zerg in quest for gold.
The living story was a big reason I kept coming back, but now its gone, boredom is going to get the best of me. I love the game for many reasons and don’t really want to find entertainment elsewhere, but sadly I have already started downloading other second rate free to play games, to keep me amused. My days spent in GW are going to be fewer and fewer, and I will regain a new interest if and when this so called “future” gets here.

You know, I kind of expected it to be something bigger as well. The current living story (today’s release) is very minimal so I’m expecting the one with the dragon to be rather large and intense. Now though, I’ve got two weeks to get any alts ready for Season 2 WvW which might be a let down like before but I’m willing to give it a chance before making any calls.

IMHO, the GW2 futur is very bad if they keep focus only on farm farm farm farm farm, and grind grind grind grind activities without any focus on the core game and game mechanisms and stop that awfull farm and grind for everything.

To answer your question, there’s no future in GW2. Much better option out there.

The upcoming MMO’s won’t kill guild wars. It’ll live on, much like the first one still does. But that doesn’t mean people are going to stay. If I had to bet I’d say by the end of the year unless GW does the most amazing turn around I’ve ever seen (not going to happen) they’ll lose about 50% of their population. Box sales are down so no new players are coming. Poor development. I loved you GW2, but it was not a love to be.

E Tan.7385:

IMHO, the GW2 futur is very bad if they keep focus only on farm farm farm farm farm, and grind grind grind grind activities without any focus on the core game and game mechanisms and stop that awfull farm and grind for everything.

These are the kinds of changes I’m looking for. The “feature” patches are what interest me greatly. Things like WXP, champ bags, etc are great additions to GW2. I was hoping today was going to be the start of them but I guess we’ll have to wait again. My best guess is the big update that was supposed to come today, that got delayed, had a few things that Anet wants to roll out with the balance update so they held off on it all together.

Also guys, please keep the conversation filled with serious replies only. Its not a problem now but I don’t want this thread closed because of comments that don’t aid the topic(s) at hand. Appreciated!

There was no ‘big update’ that was supposed to come today. They clearly announced some time ago that today’s patch was a maintenance-only patch, and then added that there would be the small epilogue to LS Season One, as well.

The feature patch is to be released at some indeterminate date in the future. Maybe after the new WvW Tournament, but hopefully, sooner.

The replies are always the same – its being worked on. We’re looking into its feasibility. End result – have some more zerg content and some more gem store shinies.

Blackarps.1974:

These are the kinds of changes I’m looking for. The “feature” patches are what interest me greatly.

I would like to be that optimistic about that.. but… i’am seriously not.. :/ at see how they manage their game since more than 1 and half year… its pretty scary…

As most of you stated, GW2’s future doesn’t seem that bright. We were teased with an awesome game, with “every mechanic you liked in GW1”. Even though the game is good, it doesn’t make me feel like I’m playing the best game ever.

Actually, there are errors and bugs that really need fixing, but the devs seem to focus on things that don’t really matter. Instead of giving us opportunities to lengthen to game’s lifespan (like for example quests giving us a chance to get such weapon or such armor) or fixing game-breaking exploits, they give us things to buy for a high price (in other terms: farming gold) and teasers for things that don’t seem to come.

Things are “being worked on”, but never come. I would prefer a month without anything new and see a promise kept rather that getting new flat events that incite us to farm.

However, I don’t give up hope yet: on many maps there are paths to (hopefully) upcoming zones, I’m sure I’ll someday bring my characters back to the Crystal Desert, maybe Elona. The fact is, it is really important to us, but it’s not coming as fast as it should… I don’t need 10 maps in one update, I’d prefer a new map every month, with new missions (LONG missions, like GW1, not short Risen-focused ones where a fern gets all the credit like here).

However many people had their hopes up high, and the evolution of the game is nothing as expected. Now we are in a lose/lose situation: either the game “evolves” just like now (namely “barely”) and they’ll lose player for lack of content, or they promise things that won’t come and they’ll lose player for lack of content. GW1 was complete in 2,5 years, here after 1,5 we have… Nothing more. Just a slain dragon (but still a bunch of Risen everywhere), a farm map, and a new awoken dragon, but nobody noticed it (just a sentence “did I hear a roar?”).

If the game continues in this path, I don’t see a bright future. If I wasn’t playing with friends, I wouldn’t have been on the game for so long: I won’t lie, I’m not gonna wait 2 years between each dragon, especially if I don’t get something exciting to do in between.

It’s up to ANet to give us our will to play back.

My concern for GW2’s future is based on the fact that I take breaks from various games from time to time while waiting for content additions. I know others who do the same. This is the first game I’ve seen where little is added to draw a player back if/when they take a break.

Zutha.5091:

Being a RAD, the speed of development is typical for a poor I.T department where they use the excuses of “analysis” and “proper cycles” for delays….

Suppose the continuous attitude of poor developers keeps me employed.

Blizzard took years to response. If it is an example of a poor IT department, you should show the biggest giant in the gaming industry how they should work.

updates? features? content? class balance?

it took them year and a half to make a beta group finder tool…

the combat log is useless from release!
where are my critical indications?
where is all the conditions data?
how about the minions damage?
and what happened to healing info?

~ #5 listed by blackarps.1974 all the way

Ashen.2907:

My concern for GW2’s future is based on the fact that I take breaks from various games from time to time while waiting for content additions. I know others who do the same. This is the first game I’ve seen where little is added to draw a player back if/when they take a break.

This is what I do as well, it helps keep things fresh. Its about time though that we get some quality updates that aren’t wrapped around something that will be pointless in two weeks. I always tend to think that no news is good news but its hard when that goes on for weeks if not months at a time. I’m hoping a developer sees this thread at some point in time and can respond to it and let us know whats going on other than just “were working on it”. Details about GW2 and its future would be very nice accepting, that way we can give feedback and make the game we all love even better.