Guild Wars 2

Majic.4801:

Arguing With Authority

RustyRhino.9854:

I need to be blunt to you. Anet doesn’t create content for EXTREME casuals like yourself. If you dislike that, this MMO isn’t for you.

I need to be blunt with you and everyone else who falsely labels players who dislike temporary content as “extreme casuals”, then blithely repeats this tired fallacy as if you and they speak for ArenaNet: You’re wrong.

Says who? Says Game Director Colin Johanson:

I wanted to take a moment and address this, it’s a totally fair question and something as a player (removing my GD hat) I’d wonder the same thing as well. As I covered in my blog post last month, a major focus of our living world releases in the second half of the year will be on focusing our living world releases on content that has a larger sense of persistence, and more permanent effect on the world.

And just in case that’s not clear enough, he goes on to say:

We’re also looking into options that would allow players to experience the story sequences that will go away as the story moves forward for those who missed them, but this is still a ways off as we look at various options.

There’s the long-term plan. Compare and contrast to “this MMO isn’t for you.”

And while you’re at it, ask yourself if you honestly think “this MMO isn’t for you” is something ArenaNet would ever say. I strongly recommend reading Colin’s entire post (and that entire thread) if why you’re wrong isn’t crystal clear at this point, because it’s important.

I’m sure it’s tempting to try to lend your opinions some weight by presenting them as official ArenaNet policy, but in doing so you are actually positioning yourself against ArenaNet’s stated interests and gutting your own credibility in the process.

You are not ArenaNet.

The Quest For Misunderstanding Continues……….

First off, I am not labeling EVERYONE who dislikes temporary content, I am labeling this specific OP who can’t play the living story during the time it is available. Also if you read further down my post, I mention exactly the same thing that you point out, that Anet are looking into a Recap of missed Living story releases, and that he would just be missing out on the achievements/bonuses. Read my entire reply before you decide to comment on it, thanks (It’s ironic that you would talk about misunderstanding, lol). Also your first Colin Johanson quote is out of context with the date of this post because Anet has already extended the time of the Living World to four weeks (instead of two) + done everything mentioned in that specific quote (aka Kessex Hills).

Also I am not speaking for Anet, Just like you aren’t speaking for every player. I’m looking at it from a business perspective + how Anet has done their releases so far. The reason I suggested single player games, is because single player games do not, generally, have a LIVING WORLD, and do have plenty of permanent content.

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Edit: Comment on quote from Colin Johanson

RustyRhino.9854:

First off, I am not labeling EVERYONE who dislikes temporary content, I am labeling this specific OP who can’t play the living story during the time it is available. Also if you read further down my post, I mention exactly the same thing that you point out, that Anet are looking into a Recap of missed Living story releases, and that he would just be missing out on the achievements/bonuses. Read my entire reply before you decide to comment on it, thanks (It’s ironic that you would talk about misunderstanding, lol). Also your first Colin Johanson quote is out of context with the date of this post because Anet has already extended the time of the Living World to four weeks (instead of two) + done everything mentioned in that specific quote (aka Kessex Hills).

Also I am not speaking for Anet, Just like you aren’t speaking for every player. I’m looking at it from a business perspective + how Anet has done their releases so far. The reason I suggested single player games, is because single player games do not, generally, have a LIVING WORLD, and do have plenty of permanent content.

Edit: Post trimmed
Edit: Comment on quote from Colin Johanson

Nah, I disagree. I also think, that you can’t just throw in a statement like “this game isn’t for you”. He can voice his concern (or the reason why he quit, for that matter) like everyone else and he can hope. If I remember correctly, there are some things Arenanet has done according to the wishes of the community. Maybe the decision to take some more time, for the last Living Story parts (What was it called? Season 1?), is one of these things.

So, the LS clearly is subject to change – and I’m convinced, if enough people dislike it, the way it is now, it will be changed again. Is this a game for him? Yes, I do believe so, because it isn’t deadlocked. … Hopefully.

Natsu.2589:

RustyRhino.9854:

First off, I am not labeling EVERYONE who dislikes temporary content, I am labeling this specific OP who can’t play the living story during the time it is available. Also if you read further down my post, I mention exactly the same thing that you point out, that Anet are looking into a Recap of missed Living story releases, and that he would just be missing out on the achievements/bonuses. Read my entire reply before you decide to comment on it, thanks (It’s ironic that you would talk about misunderstanding, lol). Also your first Colin Johanson quote is out of context with the date of this post because Anet has already extended the time of the Living World to four weeks (instead of two) + done everything mentioned in that specific quote (aka Kessex Hills).

Also I am not speaking for Anet, Just like you aren’t speaking for every player. I’m looking at it from a business perspective + how Anet has done their releases so far. The reason I suggested single player games, is because single player games do not, generally, have a LIVING WORLD, and do have plenty of permanent content.

Edit: Post trimmed
Edit: Comment on quote from Colin Johanson

Nah, I disagree. I also think, that you can’t just throw in a statement like “this game isn’t for you”. He can voice his concern (or the reason why he quit, for that matter) like everyone else and he can hope. If I remember correctly, there are some things Arenanet has done according to the wishes of the community. Maybe the decision to take some more time, for the last Living Story parts (What was it called? Season 1?), is one of these things.

So, the LS clearly is subject to change – and I’m convinced, if enough people dislike it, the way it is now, it will be changed again. Is this a game for him? Yes, I do believe so, because it isn’t deadlocked. … Hopefully.

I hope this game is for me because I loved it dearly till they added LS. 90% of the new content is LS and my family and I dont enjoy it. My hope is they move to more static content so I can come back and enjoy it. I am not hating on the game in any way.

This feud aside, it seems more and more that if they can make money with this gem store driven updates there is no need for new real content (i.e. Cantha, Elona, new Dragons, Professions etc.). Money reigns. Good were ye olde times of Guild Wars 1…

ProtoGunner.4953:

This feud aside, it seems more and more that if they can make money with this gem store driven updates there is no need for new real content (i.e. Cantha, Elona, new Dragons, Professions etc.). Money reigns. Good were ye olde times of Guild Wars 1…

This is exactly how I see it, instead of getting something super nice occasionally like a well done expansion, with new Professions to play or places to explore that don’t go away two weeks later were are just going to get shoveled sub par content until we are fed up (or bored) and find something better to play.

When I look at the scope of GW2 and how it was designed I think Anet had big plans and then something drastic happened and now we got this …

So I saw a few people mentioning they were playing other MMOs that they found enjoyable, if so would you mind mentioning them because GW2 is becoming extremely lackluster with it’s re-used content.

I personally hate living story because it does not feel challenging and all it has to it is chasing a “carrot” around to complete a meta and basically being forced to do so within the first few days of the LS release to even hope completing it. The entire tower of nightmares deal felt like garbage, Scarlet is just an annoyance that was interesting at first but annoying as hell now, I mean how the F did she get involved with Fractals? (So stupid) Personal story was complete trash and none of the content even focuses on the actual issues at hand, such as Cantha still being guarded off by a dragon, does none of Tyria feel a need to assist their neighboring continents anymore? WTF happened with that?

Now we have Wintersday, which is exactly the SAME AS LAST YEAR!!! How bloody lazy can you get ANet?! You didn’t even bother releasing new Wintersday skins! Just left the OLD ones up for 5 claim tickets, though I have no doubt that this was in some attempt to make more money by trying to get people to buy gems and HOPE to get 5 claim tickets, which I am sure would take well over 5000 gems to even HOPE for.

On top of that look at the skins for the ascended armor. I mean come the hell on! Complete laziness, and yet again, an obvious attempt at getting people to buy gems to purchase transmutation stones from the gem store to reskin it with a skin they have had for over a year anyways!

Along with all of that RNG is completely broken in this game and terribly so. 1% of the population has the best RNG ever and get precursor drops weekly, even when their Magic Find is significantly lower than everyone else, while the remainder is forced to sit in Lion’s Arch trying to flip items on the TP or going out and farming materials for 8 hours a day to hopefully some day get enough gold to purchase a precursor, which both, in my opinion, are not playing a video game but instead are making the game a JOB and something not enjoyable.

What LS is trying to make, is smaller updates to the game, while tying that into the LS in a roleplay friendly way. giving everything like expansionpacks does has it’s pros and cons, but I personally love LS because everything comes to me slowly, like the Tower, it took some weeks to build that thing, and then we finally played it. It was really great content imo.
However, I’m just one player among alot of others, and we all have our different Opinions.
In my opinion, LS should stay, but maybe make bigger outcomes in the end of something, like opening up a new Area, which They’ve stated could happen, and will.

Axiom.6137:

The game was doing very well until they started with Living Story. The player die off is more than coincidental to what many find to be failed game design.

Living Story killed the game for me and my small guild. Not just is the form of adventure by checklist content repugnant, but it’s anathema to the core foundations that made this game so incredible at launch.

When they Kill Living Story and Devote future content creation to a vast expansion of Dynamic Events across the beautiful, but now stale, game world, they will have a chance to recapture the potential this game originally represented.

As long as they embrace the death spiral that is the failed Living Story concept, there isn’t much hope.

As a long time MMO vet, the frustrations related to this are difficult to impart. Many have been waiting for a game like GW2 since the genre first spawned and the potential for the medium became evident. The game, at launch, was somewhat akin to The Holy Grail of MMO design.

To see the Water of Life poured from the Grail, so that it can be used as a beer stein for drinking cheap swill is just demoralizing.

No truer words have been said.

Living story is what turned me off pve. Luckily I like wvw, but dislike that LS additions clearly are not made with any consideration of their impact to wvw. So LS content is to temporary to care about or do, and has a negative impact on the game mode I enjoy.

Plus I chose this game as it promised an alternative to vertical power grinds, man has that been a disappointing policy uturn.

Overall this makes current style LS content feel like the enemy.

I haven’t played GW2 in months because of living story. An expansion would get me back in.

The living story cured me of being a “completionist”. I finally abandoned even trying. After I reached the point of not carrying whether I participate in, much less complete, a specific living story release, I became less stressed/annoyed about it being fast paced and mostly temporary.

Unfortunately, by missing a 3 living stories that I didn’t want to participate in due to being burned out on the ones that immediately preceded them, I have lost track of the story. That led to me not caring about the story.

I’m not complaining. I’m just stating what happened to me. Now I feel sort of disconnected from the game and have the hope that they will add something in that will reconnect me.

I need something to do that makes me feel connected to the world where I feel that I’m progressing, and that I can do at my own pace.

I love how everyone forgets that we knew first year of living story would suck because they where setting up repeating events. The fallow up plot of Zihtan will be interesting. For those who don’t know no he is not dead yet body was a fake.

I honestly don’t like title of forum if you are quitting tell me why I care. If you are telling me to quit I’m not so there.

If you are going to blame anyone blame blizzards for poor quality of current gw2. It would have came out 5 years ago if not for them and Anet would still have full control of content which was mainly lore driven. Give Gw2 time to develop and I’m sure no one will complain in the long run but they probably will.

Finally all living story content is returning in fotm so there is that which most people don’t mention. LS is really like you don’t do your job you don’t get paid and that is about it. so rewards not being repeatable makes sense. However, gw2 has no end game currently only LS which makes it boring to play so the updates really keep it interesting and are probably the only reason people keep playing.

Thorn.7963:

I haven’t played GW2 in months because of living story. An expansion would get me back in.

With the same old inovative mechanics and skills? would be almost like buy the same product again.

Fafnir.5124:

[SNIP]…LS is really like you don’t do your job you don’t get paid and that is about it.

Yes, exactly, and that’s part of the problem. It does feel like a job.

The thing is, I already have a job. What I wanted was something fun. Instead, I got Living Story, which has driven me — and others — away from the game. And still ANet doesn’t get it. Even in the Living Story CDI, I saw nothing from the devs that demonstrated an understanding that what many of us want is to simply not be shut out of rewards for playing the game at our own pace. It has completely ruined the entire GW2 experience for me, and until I see something — anything — that shows the devs actually care about those of us who experience this disconnect, then I will continue to steer people away from this game at every opportunity.

Yes. I am bitter.

Soooo, ammm, how would you feel about something like this:

A ghost of stories past. An NPC that, for a fee, allows you to unlock an old LS achievement tab and, in certain cases, open an instance that you can join with 1-5 people to get said achievements. For example, if you want to replay the Fractured! part, you pay xxx gold and when you do fractals you get achievements from it. If you want to replay the Nightmare Tower, you pay yyy gold to unlock it and then another, say, 100 gems to enter the instance(per person). The gold for unlocking can be based on the AP of the achievement category. Like, if there’s 50 AP total, you pay 50g, but if you already have 40 AP, you pay 10g. It can be like going on a trip with different packages(basic: you get to complete the achievements without any rewards cause you are staying in the cheap hotel, special: you get the APs as well and premium: you get all rewards related to it, 1 time only for, ofc, more gold and gems).

I guess it’d be too much work though…

TrcyMcgrdy.2317:

“Even as a player like myself who has stopped playing for many months, if I come back now, what do I gain? Most of the new content is gone. So what is there to encourage me to come back? IMO the only real content added was isles (that I hate) and fractals that are just ok IMO. The rest of the new content is no longer there to encourage me as a gamer to come back and give ANet my money. To me they are just spinning their wheels.”

You paid Anet once and you aren’t giving them any more money unless youd ecide to buy cosmetics. The coming content is just a bonus that requires no more sub fees or anything. Why not play for 2-3 hours a week and enjoy it rather than getting mad that you can’t finish all of it. I am a VERY causal player. I play maybe the same time as you to 8 hours a week on a good one. I enjoy just walking around, checking my guy out, and doing whatever of the new content I can finish. I am happy I only had to pay once to play and it makes me relax and enjoy the game and not feel that I need to bum rush and finish all of the content to enjoy it. Can you not step back and be happy you haven’t paid 160 plus worth of sub fees if this had a $15 a month like WoW?

I fins it irritating when GW2 players complain so much when the game is a one time cost and no fees afterwards. You are acting like Anet owes you because you throw your money at them. If you are spending money at the Black Lion for cosmetics when you play 2-3 hours a week, that is your problem. IT isn’t necessary to purchase it at all. Just try to enjoy the hours you do play. Then again, people who enjoy the game are too busy playing rather than complaining on forums. Have fun man, and don’t throw extra money to Anet when you play so little…

If I am wrong, please let me know in what way you are giving Anet your money.

I say ANet hasn’t successfully enticed me to give them my money since a few months after launch. That’s a problem.

You seem to think that ANet shouldn’t even try to entice me to give them my money in the future, since I’m not currently giving them my money.

That ranks among the most ignorant things I think I’ve ever read on the internet. Congratulations.

Fafnir.5124:

I love how everyone forgets that we knew first year of living story would suck because they where setting up repeating events.

How can we forget something no one at ArenaNet has ever said? Indeed, who predicted the Living World would suck for the first year? Got a link? Seems you are arguing with an imaginary straw man.

Rationalizing away the game’s problems by blaming dissatisfied players and even other game developers is not a very convincing argument, particularly when it is coupled with your own complaint that GW2 “has no end game currently only LS which makes it boring to play”.

The thinly-veiled truth behind this reaction, as with most like it in these forums, is that you wouldn’t feel compelled to blame others if you didn’t have similar complaints about the game yourself. Indeed, your own words say so quite clearly.

Nothing wrong with disagreeing with other players — everyone has their own opinions, and negativity can get old fast. But if you focus on reading what other real players are actually writing about the game, you will probably find yourself disagreeing with them less than the imaginary kind.

minbariguy.7504:

Fafnir.5124:

[SNIP]…LS is really like you don’t do your job you don’t get paid and that is about it.

Yes, exactly, and that’s part of the problem. It does feel like a job.

The thing is, I already have a job. What I wanted was something fun. Instead, I got Living Story, which has driven me — and others — away from the game. And still ANet doesn’t get it. Even in the Living Story CDI, I saw nothing from the devs that demonstrated an understanding that what many of us want is to simply not be shut out of rewards for playing the game at our own pace. It has completely ruined the entire GW2 experience for me, and until I see something — anything — that shows the devs actually care about those of us who experience this disconnect, then I will continue to steer people away from this game at every opportunity.

Yes. I am bitter.

THIS!! Its so this!!