Guild Wars 2

I’ve given this a lot of thought when playing the many MMOs I’ve tried to get in to since dropping WOW many years back.

By best answer is: Perceived value. If I feel like the things I do/have/get in the game have impact on and value within the game, I am hooked. I realize I am only one of many thousands of players, but to get the feeling that I’m, in some way, affecting how the game is playing to everyone else gives the great satisfaction that can only come from, and sustain, an MMO.

With the latest patch, the value of items I had dropped. The quality of my gear was diminished. As people swarmed into FotM, the things I enjoyed doing in the open world became much less relevant. To make it worse, Anet said nothing of all this before doing it, and was silent for the following week. When they finally held a reddit AMA (a professional announcement would have been preferable, not everyone keeps up with reddit and/or fansites) – they only promised that they would continue on this path full steam ahead.

I want to play this game again, but when the devs aren’t outright stating that they’re systematically destroying the things I love in the game, … they’re saying nothing at all. To say I’m bitter is an understatement.

Lots of open world content for solo or group play. Lots of classes (i.e. professions) for alts. Lots of tradeskill options.

None of which I have a lot of spare time for though. But means that if I like a game, I’ll stay for years. I still have several unopened maps. I’m hoarding them for the future.

It also helps that I have a group of casual gaming buds from all over the world that I’ve played with on one game or another for the last 4 years.

tigirius.9014:

1. quick bug fixes
2. great balance in pve (notably no bugs/nerfs preventing a primarily dps class from soloing)
3. easily farmed crafting loot
4. easy ways to make decent money
5. in game drops of keys for chests/special items usually found in stores.
6. relevant crafting
   — which all leads to having fun because when you don’t have to think about those things or spend time wondering “what in blazes the devs were thinking when they did that” or wondering how you are going to afford things you need (not want need like runes for your armor to complete it or even the exotic armor itself) then you can spend the rest of the time having fun with your friends without harming their progress in things like dungeons etc.

The above pretty much says it for me, or in short form, a game where it feels like my character matters in the world.

ie. other players and npcs both value my crafted goods, being able to make equipment for myself and not just for lower levels because the mats I need are all only obtainable from high level areas where you need a zerg for a chance to get them. I really like the systems where you can feasibly get most of the mats yourself, for yourself, and have a reasonable chance at crits for the cooler/better stuff.

Hobbies or whatever you want to call them is also another keeper for me, it makes the game more of an alternate reality instead of “just” a game. I love fishing both for rare loot like the treasure maps in UO and the chests in WoW as well as providing reasonable mats for other crafts like cooking and even some types of equipment(scales, bones, pearls, etc).

I think if a game has avenues other than just the typical pve/pvp/guilds/raids/zergs to provide a viable way of being a part of the community like fishing, farming(growing crops), raising livestock(sheep for wool, chickens/ducks/etc for eggs, feathers, maybe even mounts and pets) as well as open world housing even if you only had a limited choice of preset foundations/storage (with some room for personalization, paint, diff roofs, etc) and even boats for deeper sea fishing(which could be expanded eventually to include some form of warfare for those who live to kill, ie. fighting pirates or other “evil factions” where you could form parties to take over and control islands for the “good factions” that would have exotic mats for expanded armour and weapon skins(in other words NOT necessary but something alot of players love if only for the expanded income it would provide), then I would probably never leave. I’d definitely be willing to pay a sub for it!

Oh yea, and I’d want to have a wardrobe/costume setup similiar to LoTRO where you can choose from a number of selected outfits on what your character shows to the rest of the world.

PUG friendly pvp.

I would think the other people playing it. But I can’t say for sure since I never see anyone else playing it.

Honest, sincere, reliable communication from the Dev and Community teams makes me feel like a valued customer and gives me a HUGE incentive to stay with a game, even when things are rough.

Slyder.9215:

Hellkaiser.6025:

lisamee.2408:

—a fun, meaningful, non frustrating, profitable crafting system.
—housing (non-instanced) for social fun , and showing off our treasures
—something original for end game besides 1-3 hour dungeon grinding.
—to feel like after im leveled and geared that i am powerful and find loads of treasures.
—frequent events and holiday fun.

How could you make housing non-instanced?

Do you mean that it’s an instance with a small outside area such as a garden and not just an indoor cube of boredom like some games do?

I think he means like SWG, where the houses are out there in the open world – and not in separate housing instances like most games do now.

There are problems that can arise from that, but I can also understand why people like it that way.

Another game with non-instanced housing that is still around is Entropia. You can see the housing and you can go into a lot of them (the owner sets permissions) and wander around.

However, that game is something like a very pretty virtual casino for people who are richer than me. It’s still fun to wander around in, though, and wandering is free.

Corvindi.5734:

Another game with non-instanced housing that is still around is Entropia. You can see the housing and you can go into a lot of them (the owner sets permissions) and wander around.

However, that game is something like a very pretty virtual casino for people who are richer than me. It’s still fun to wander around in, though, and wandering is free.

UO is non instanced/open world. Imo the only thing their housing system falls down on is that they let neon tiles in when they let us start designing our own houses.

1st I have to ask myself what does it take to stick with any GAME in general.

It has to have good visuals. I like eye candy. It needs to look good in 3D. I prefer 5.1 sound but can live with stereo if need be.

Enough uniqueness in the game world where it does not appear to be “cookie cutter” made content. This goes for play and combat mechanics as well. I don’t want to feel like I’m ‘grinding’ and doing the same thing(s) over and over.

Here’s a tough one – not so easy to be boring but not so hard to be frustrating

Dynamic – what I do needs to somehow matter.

Open – I prefer open worlds vs corridor games

Since this is my 1st MMO, I really like the cooperation and sense of helping each other. Team work, unity. I tend to cheer when a group of players finally take down some large enemy.

I’m not really sure if I’ll ever venture into the PvP and WvW modes, constantly fighting other players does not really interest me.

Simply put – fun.

I enjoy WvW a lot, I find PVP overall oddly relaxing and calming.

I have nothing but pity for people who play MMOs to chase pixels that mean nothing at all, or just to watch a number increase on the screen, timesinkers who make the mistake of putting their ego into their gear rather than their skill.

Let’s face it, you don’t play tennis to keep getting more expensive rackets and shoes. You play it for fun, and to become more skilled at it.

I spent over 3 years on GW 1 my first MMO “type” and near 3 years again on DDO I think. GW1 was my first taste and I learned I enjoyed the gameplay format, especially being able to be part of a story and also play with a community of people. What turns me off is elitism and content that cant be done unless very unhealthy grind time is put in for required equipment or as in GW1 skills (either required by the game or by elitist players). The shouts for lfg lightbringer lor for the Norn bear transformation (of sorts) of certain levels really ruined GW1 for me.

I never did get to do all of the pve content because of this and because my guilds kept folding though I did put a lot of time in.

Hello Gorphentos,

I have stuck with GW because the lore and group play.

For the lore, I strongly suggest reading Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny. In my opinion both of these novels, with a third to come, adds greatly to the game-play.

As for grouping, everyone heals and everyone gets loot. Because of this there is no reason not to spend your day running around helping others.

Have fun and look me up if you ever need a hand.

Cheers!

Combat depth, deep group dynamic, well designed inter-synergistic class and skill design. Basically if the gameplay is solid, rewarding and gives me lots of options. Basically the opposite of how this game currently feels.

oflow.2157:

it basically splintered the community pretty hard too soon and forced people into running on the FotM treadmill for fear of being left behind.

You used to be able to log in and have fun at 80 running around farming in Orr. Once FotM dropped its a ghost town, so new 80s cant really get group events done there since no one is there they are all in LA waiting for fractal groups.

THIS. I feel so strongly about this. I took my time with this game. Put in lots of hours but I read the NPC dialogue, didn’t rush, walked to most places, enjoyed things as I went. I had faith that the path ahead of me would still be there when I reached the end, so I let everyone rush past me and burn out.
But I was stupid, as so many things were taken advantage of by those people and subsequently removed or nerfed. So now when I am reaching them (at a pace that Anet would be happier with), I am being punished with DR, untradeable karma items, longer timers, lower population, dungeon shortcuts removed, higher gem price, much difficulty finding a place to make a profit in trading (as others have found all ways to make money).

I barely cracked Malchor’s Leap and can’t get any further because no one at that level is doing anything other than Fractals.

The leveling process and character development. PvP keeps me going for the long haul. My hope is the Feburary wvwvw patch has substance.

Clark Skinner.4902:

oflow.2157:

it basically splintered the community pretty hard too soon and forced people into running on the FotM treadmill for fear of being left behind.

You used to be able to log in and have fun at 80 running around farming in Orr. Once FotM dropped its a ghost town, so new 80s cant really get group events done there since no one is there they are all in LA waiting for fractal groups.

THIS. I feel so strongly about this. I took my time with this game. Put in lots of hours but I read the NPC dialogue, didn’t rush, walked to most places, enjoyed things as I went. I had faith that the path ahead of me would still be there when I reached the end, so I let everyone rush past me and burn out.
But I was stupid, as so many things were taken advantage of by those people and subsequently removed or nerfed. So now when I am reaching them (at a pace that Anet would be happier with), I am being punished with DR, untradeable karma items, longer timers, lower population, dungeon shortcuts removed, higher gem price, much difficulty finding a place to make a profit in trading (as others have found all ways to make money).

I barely cracked Malchor’s Leap and can’t get any further because no one at that level is doing anything other than Fractals.

This worries me because it makes me feel like any character I come back to level will have a hard time once they hit cap, I do have a character at cap already my Asura Engineer that I played at the firs few weeks of launch, but for my return I decided I want to try out all the classes a bit, then level one up that I can really enjoy, however that makes it seem like my attempts will be futile.

I will still continue to play of course because once I have my mind set to come back to a game I will, but that’s mainly because I really just want to see my character’s arc, and story. Now I guess I can just hope I find a good group, or guild by the time I get my newest character up.