I usually flee the forum, yet I feel concerned since I like this game and its gameplay, and the situation is quite serious.
Why is the status quite ‘special’ this time (cause everyone always complaining but well ^^) :
> pro pvp players activity has dropped drastically. The number of pro teams is low, and among their players, few are still active. Current top 10 shows it.
> many good players ’activity is dropping, and even some whole teams are disbanding. Those are either pretty old teams made out of WvW experience, old pvp teams, or even some that did appear at Groucharoo event.
> casual activity in pvp that grew up last season decreases a bit, yet it does not create any core pvp activity.
Well, getting off that much of the top ladder basically leads to a no competitive playing PvP model…
What is really killing in current status of pvp :
> PvP is 5v5 only. So how could 2 people queue only make sense ? NO MATCHMAKING SYSTEM can ensure people’s skill balancing is regularly “simply fair” in such matches based on 2v2 (except if it grew up a 2 years long elo system over thousands of people…or allow 15 minuts long queues). So, ok, allowing a queue system based on 2 ppl queue, or 1 ppl, or whatever, fair enough… BUT Team Arena must be the leading system and its existence is MANDATORY for a competitive context intent.
> PvP must be attractive for its rewards at top lvl (esl discussions ?), its activity at regular player level, its diversity for casual players. I cannot tell much about esl rewarding case (though I heard several disappointments around it). But casual players only have a ranked system where they are mixed with ‘anyone’, and an unranked system that is the same without title nor reard. And worse is for regular good leveled players who must stick to the 2v2 system, with no extra activity. Why no regular teams ? why no regular encounter system ? why no tournament activity support ? I know community must be active on it, but not on its own !!
All this is all the more troubling that :
- 5v5 system existed, and conventional ranking as well. Why did anyone decide to create from scratch leadorbard system which has been investigated by sports, other games ?? And why did anyone think that 2 people grouping in a 5v5 system could be a leading (and single) competitive team(5v5)play activity ?
- guild mission system exist, yet it is only a ‘go to pvp and do a match’, while it could be a ‘team A vs team B schedule a time before this date, your arena will be 22, the 3 rounds will start at xx pm’.
- guild teams exist, but they are just a guild artefact, while there can exist teams for tournaments (groucharoo reached 32 !!!)
- the dota like play map… is fun, I mean : why not. But that was clearly not the priority. Some huge games encountered huge successes with basically 6 or 8 maps during 8 years !!! just their system was great…
- guildwars has many specificities keeping ppl active on it and not elsewhere : Lore, classes, graphics… Yet the very unique point is its gameplay and dynamism. The mobility, activity, reactivity, observation, are requiring and enjoyable. Making the game opened to all is ok, but if one wants a competitive system out of it, which seems to be the case, then this competitive system will necessarily be difficult and requiring. PvP structure must stick to the game it is applied to.
So I get the feeling this system is going nowhere, and regret it, that’s why my question is : Anet, where do you want to go !!!