Guild Wars 2

Sorry to sound so negative but this jumping has got to be one of the stupidest time-sinks I have seen in a game since Mark Jacobs rolled out Trials of Atlantis and killed DAoC. I have a feeling that most MMORGs plan games around so called “hard-core” gamers when in reality they might be best served by designing around the folks who have limited time play (folks who have jobs and – pardon the pun- are least likely to “jump” from game to game).

It seems to me that there is a big lack of understanding on what the long term subscribers enjoy in a game that has yet to be understood by marketing and then given to the game designers ensure they have the knowledge needed to build the game around if they want any longevity to a game. Build content around the folks who have the bigger and steadier incomes and who are least likely to cancel. I wonder how much marketing was done and provided to the game designers before work was started on the next big game?

Most of the folks claiming to be the “hard-core gamers” who whine about “watering down the game” tend to be the a.d.d types who can play for hours on end, get burnt out, and then leave for the next best beta test w/in months of a games release. They are not the ones who continue to pay either through a monthly subscription or use Gems/ equivalent. In the end, it seems like this whole industry has gotten into chasing the wrong target — and designing for the wrong group who doesn’t bring the long-term revenue in the game.

I know this might sound harsh to a designer/developer to have someone criticize something they have worked on for so long, but I honestly think that stuff like this does not endear itself to the older middle class player who values their all-to-short playing time and might choose to invest it in a game that does not have the same perceived time-sinks.

I work more than 40 hours a week. I don’t have time to go from game to game to game. I do want to finish the map and the only way to do that is to dance to the game rule of completing the map includes completing the vistas no matter how many times you fall into the water, rocks or to your death.

Just my 2 copper from 50+ year old who is bringing up another char through the jumping vistas and just about ready to throw the towel in.