Guild Wars 2

So I just had a thought. I don’t know if this has been mentioned by anyone else, but in future LW (S02) updates, I think it would be cool if they contained a player choice element, something similar to the Tower of Nightmares antitoxin injecting that gradually filled the bar. This time, however, instead of waiting for the bar to actually fill, the devs could just not wait for it to happen and if in two weeks the bar would still not be filled, the event would “fail” and this would open an alternative path in the overall story. So each LW update would have 2 alternative outcomes, much like the Gnashblade/Abbadon scenario. What do you think? I realize this would probably mean doubled efforts on the devs’ side, but it would also feel like the story is “alive” and shaped by players.

This would certainly give players a feeling of empowerment, like their actions truly matter! But would it really be worth only getting half as much content? The Thaumanova/Abbadon choice was possible because there was a long gap between when the choice was made and when the effects were seen, so that they could develop the chosen Fractal. But in the suggestion that there is a pass/fail branch at the end of each Living Story that immediately selects between two different ways for it to continue, both outcomes would have to be fully developed and ready to be revealed depending on how player’s actions turn the tide of the story.

The really interesting thing about using video games as a story telling medium is the interactivity of it. So far, the majority of the Living Story Season One has been a very inactive episodic format. Scarlet influences things to make something go crazy, and the players show up to enjoy the themepark until the episode is over and everything goes back to it’s stable point. The Tower arc kind of broke away from it being entirely episodic, with there being a much larger lasting impact remaining on the world, and that is nice to see. But there still isn’t any real interaction between the players, and how the Story progresses.

Bobby has come to the forums and said that a great deal was learned during Living Story Season One that will be put into practice for Season Two. It would be really nice to see more interactivity between players and story, even if it isn’t really viable to develop two different continuations for each step of the Living Story. Even something like players being given a dialog choice in the Story Instances (For example, Marjory could ask the player if they think that she should start investigating who Mr. E may have been or if they think that her talents would be better spent shoring up defenses.) and the choices that players make could be visibly tallied to be used to shape what happens a couple of months down the line. Even if the same story element happens either way (A later Living Story update could involve Marjory tracking down the identity of Mr. E and the players arrive just in time to defend the NPC from an attack, or alternatively the place Marjory was sent to defend could come under attack during which Mr. E reveals themself in the course of the defense.) this would at least make the player an active part of the Story, rather than being an observer who doesn’t really matter as many players have complained about.

.

It would be really neat to see entirely divergent consequences based on what players do! But that would require a tremendous amount of wasted development. Would it be worth it to players to only get half as much content in exchange for this?

Would a slower forming but still interactive touch be enough to make players feel more involved and connected to the story, if the OP’s suggestion of every update having a branch is unfeasible?