First, I’d just like to say I was one of the people who followed your game for the past year. I googled GW2 daily, checked youtube daily and just soaked up all the info I could on your game. Call me a fanboy or whatever, I was more excited for this MMO than any in recent history for it’s sPvP.
Having said that, I can’t imagine what you guys are thinking right now, or planning for the future. I look at GW2 and see probably the most fun, intense PvP experience I’ve ever had as far as combat mechanics go yet the way the game has been setup hardly allows anyone to enjoy it at all. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 are all intensely fun and I love it.
What you get in 8v8 however as everyone knows is a big 8 man zerg with burst and swiftness builds just circle capping. It is not fun! Now just imagine if I’m this GW2 fanboy whatever and I’m not enjoying, just imagine your random casual player base which has all but already run off. I’ve given this game over 2 months of my time waiting and hoping. I doubt most will last that long before going back to MOBAs, WoW, or wherever they came from.
Here are a few things that I think would have this game slam packed and making Anet fist tons of money, and I still cannot understand why it wasn’t done this way. Look at LoL and how successful they’ve been. It’s proven and makes money.
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Solo/Duo, and Team queue normal mode 5v5 games
Solo/Duo, and team queue ranked mode 5v5 games
-you must finish a game to get your glory, if you win you double it(there you go, incentive to play to win and finish)
Glory is earned through playing games just like it is now and can be spent on cosmetic rewards. For $money$ which Anet needs, players may purchase glory for gems from the cash shop to then spend on cosmetic rewards(think LoL skins)
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If you launched with these simple features I think you’d probably have sold something like 5-10 million games already, and make crap tons more in your cash shop. LoL has proven people will pay for skins, it has to be better than tourney tickets for you guys.
Finally, the cash shop. I understand this is necessary for a FTP game, and I’m all for supporting you guys if you provide us, your customers with the service that we’re expecting. I understand this is your game, but part of a business is meeting customer needs if that business wants to actually be profitable. I don’t understand your cash shop model. It makes absolutely no sense to me. There is literally nothing that I want to buy other than the characters slots and bank tabs which I’ve already purchased. Long term though, how does this current model continue producing revenue? I just can’t see it.
With that comes tournaments. This has to have been your idea to produce consistent revenue by selling tickets for tournament entries. It just makes no sense! So players are already upset and leaving over 8v8 and no ladder. And now you hit them with a fee to even try out a tournament? So if they get steamrolled they probably don’t come back. If they are a good team and do well then they probably would like to play a lot of tournaments. What maybe 4-5 a day? At 5 tickets per entry that would cost a PvPer roughly $5 a DAY to play your game!(it’s already been noted that maybe 12-15 serious teams exist anymore) I don’t think anyone would ever go for it. It’s absurd! I’d rather pay $15 a month on 2 PTP MMOs rather than spend $5 a day just for tournament entries.
I just don’t understand what you guys are thinking and how you plan to succeed long term but so far I see nothing that makes sense and is obviously not generating a consistent player base. PvP is dying, everyone in these forums is screaming it, from casuals to the best of the best in the top tournament teams. I fear if there is not major change to the entire sPvP structure then this amazing game’s potential and combat system will go to waste. I seriously hope for all of our sakes that you guys listen to your community. It can only make your customers happy, and in turn make you guys happy when you’re actually generating income to sustain the company.
TL;DR suggestions above in the bracketed section. Also, does anyone buy gems? what do you buy? Other than glory boosts I can’t think of much worthwhile that would generate long term revenue for Anet.
(edited by Grimnar.6128)