Ah, the “Real Life” argument rears its head again. Setting aside the point that this is a fantasy mmo and not a “sim” game, can I assume that people who want “real life” in their game won’t mind a bit if we also include:
1. Permadeath
2. Necessary bio breaks for your character
3. Necessary food consumption or death
4. Aging (leading to reduced stats and, of course, more death)
5. Permanent injuries to your character (shame about that one-armed ranger…)
And so on and so forth. ’Cause, you know…reality, amirite?
No? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I have a hunch people wouldn’t be using the “But it’s real life!” defense then…
Well, they are aware that many of us feel this way about missing out on temporary content, and they claim they are “looking into” ways of addressing our concerns.
However, what they have in mind or how long it will take to implement is anyone’s guess. So in the meantime, I will continue to not log in or purchase gems. Ultimately, that is really the only feedback that will matter.
Instead of progressing and improving, Living Story continued to devolve and it became clear there was no intent to use Living Story as a mechanism for changing the game world, it was just a linear, formulaic, “adventure by checklist” mini-holiday event every two weeks.
And that’s another thing I hate about Living Story. By the time a limited-time holiday event rolls around, I’m so irritated about yet another thing I have to complete by a certain time (or miss out on completely) that I want nothing to do with it.
Holiday events, by their very nature, have to be limited-time events. It is perfectly reasonable for them to be. But I’m so sick of limited-time content that I don’t even enjoy the holiday events anymore. There is nothing special about them. They don’t even feel fun to me. They feel like just another update being shoved frantically at us.
It’s like Living Story has sucked every last bit of enjoyment out of this game for me. The devs have said they are looking into ways to alleviate some of the concerns of those of us who hate the constant stream of limited-time temporary content. I certainly hope they have some news for us soon, because I don’t know how much longer I’m willing to wait. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.
All content in every LS could be experienced.
But not — and this is the important bit that I think you missed — _at my own pace.
Perhaps you should read the rest of my post that you did not quote.
I read it. It wasn’t necessary to quote your second sentence because it did not change the fact that you were ignoring the “at my own pace” part of my post as hard as you possibly could.
I’m not going to get into a debate with you when your premise is based on the fallacy that we can play every single Living Story release at our own pace when even ANet says that the temporary nature of these releases it is a common complaint and that they are looking into the matter.
You may of course continue to have this conversation with yourself if it will make you feel better.
There is no place for positive threads in this forum, sadly.
i see positivity only towards gw2…
and moral-disguised insults to everyone who has different opinions.
not a comment from me about the op.
Agreed. This is not a positive thread. This is a complaint thread just like the ones the OP is supposedly railing against. But in this case, OP is complaining about other people instead of game mechanics. I fail to see how that is better.
But whatevs.
All content in every LS could be experienced.
But not — and this is the important bit that I think you missed — at my own pace.
This is a common complaint, and one that we’re very aware of. We’re discussing a variety of ideas that will allow players more flexibility in experiencing the Living World content, but we’re not ready to announce the details since the designs aren’t finalized yet.
Bobby, thank you very much for your reply. It was very much appreciated. :-)
ETA: I do hope you guys don’t wait too much longer before announcing some of those details, however. This really is a deal-breaker for some of us.
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
[SNIP] …Or would you like future LW releases to cover other topics? Share your thoughts, but please keep it constructive. Thanks.
Honestly, it does not matter what topics are covered in the LW releases; if I cannot play through the content at my own pace, I will not play it at all. It is so frustrating to have my play timeframe constantly dictated by ANet. You folks put a lot of work into this stuff, I know, but my enjoyment of it is completely spoiled by the stress of waiting for the carrot to be yanked away.
I have all the skins from past events too, and I have no problem with newer players being able to obtain them. I don’t believe in locking out a player of a look they want to have just because they weren’t around at the time. If the player is willing to put in the same work, they should be entitled to the same rewards. Same goes for titles.
Zaxares! You are my new favorite person. Until my next new favorite person, naturally, but right now…it’s you. Thank you for constructing happy word-thoughts made out of common sense and respect for other players. Cheers!
[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.
I just want Living Story content I can do at my own pace. Until this happens, I’m not even going to bother logging in, much less purchase gems.
When events occur in real life, do to have the option to repeat them? Living stories are tied to events that occur in the game at a certain one along the game timeline. There’s no delorien to take you back to repeat those events.
If you missed a living story, you can always watch the videos on YouTube which capture the moments. Kind of like what we have in real life with video cameras.
How much “real life” do you want to see represented in your games?
How about your character growing older and getting weaker, losing stats until his or her eventual perma-death?
Or maybe our characters should become more and more fatigued until we spend 8 hours in-game having them rest?
I could go on, but you get the point. Yes, missing events in real life happens. I happen to think it’s one of the crappier things about real life. I don’t want to see it reflected in my game.
Note: Not picking on you, and your opinion is just as valid as mine. I just wanted to respond to the “it happens in real life, too!” argument that I see coming up all the time.
Pandemoniac, you are by no means alone in feeling this way. Many of us have voiced similar concerns, but ANet is determined to go ahead with their 2-week release schedule regardless.
Since ANet does not understand our words, I suggest that you speak to them in the language that they do understand and take that disposable income you mentioned and spend it on something other that Guild Wars 2. If those of us who are dissatisfied with the direction the game is taking continue to reward ANet with our money, nothing will ever change.
Obviously, your mileage may vary; perhaps you are not as disillusioned with the game as I am, in which case, carry on. But I myself will not be logging in or financially supporting this game until they stop pressuring me to play on their imposed limited-time schedule.
I hated Living Story the moment it crawled out of it’s dark, dank spider hole and shambled into the light of day.
I would most definitely classify these words as those of a shark (and not a particularly nice shark at that). But I’m happy in this tank, so I think I’ll stay.
I like Shark Week. :-)
Okay, but seriously. There’s really no need to label people as “sharks” or “not nice” simply because they have a different opinion than you do. I have nothing against you. You like Living Story? I think that’s great for you. I’m not going to criticize you for that. Have fun with it.
But there’s also nothing wrong with those of us who don’t like it voicing our opinions.
I hated Living Story the moment it crawled out of it’s dark, dank spider hole and shambled into the light of day.
I didn’t need anyone to influence me.
I didn’t feel pressured to go along with the crowd. The only pressure I felt was from Living Story: “Follow this carrot right now, or there’ll be no carrot for you at all!”
I didn’t have to worry about its temporary grindy clickfests “engaging me” against my will.
And given the fact that ANet has been completely dismissive of the idea of altering the 2-week cadence, I certainly don’t feel that hating the Living Story is a way to be “taken seriously”.
I find it odd that there are still people who have a hard time with the concept that many people hate the Living Story for perfectly good reasons, and on it’s own many questionable merits.
Totally agree with OP. Hate living story with a fiery passion. Loathe it. It’s pushy and punishes people who don’t play when ANet wants them to by taking away the chance of specific rewards. It’s obnoxious, and unpleasant and stressful.
And don’t tell me that MMOs aren’t for me, that’s absolute crap. I’ve been playing MMOs since DAOC. Most MMOs have some occasional limited-time events, but the vast majority of content can be completed at your leisure, at your own pace. This need to have a constant stream of limited-time events is not in any way a standard feature of the MMO genre.
If ANet had been honest and upfront that this was their intention, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. I would have kept my $60 and the money I spent on gems and found myself another MMO to play that did not completely disregard casual players. But instead they pulled a “bait and switch”.
I bitterly regret ever opening up my wallet for this incredibly disappointing experience.
While I totally agree with your post, SoPP, the fact is that the Devs are already aware that many of us find the pressure of Living Story deadlines to be frustrating and unpleasant.
They just don’t really care all that much.
No matter how many times we tell them, it will not make them care any more. Even if we flood the CDI threads with that message, they will refuse to see or acknowledge it.
What will make them care? Log out. Stay logged out. Don’t buy gems. It is literally the only message they will understand.
Not even close.
I’d rather pay for an expansion than keep getting pressured to play living story content on their schedule. It doesn’t matter how “free” the content is if it’s not there for me to play it when I’m ready.
On the subject of “thicker skin”: I totally support the Devs’ right to be treated with respect. They are human beings, and do not deserve to be insulted or expected to endure angry toxicity.
That said, I agree that when dealing with subject matter that is by it’s very nature encouraging people to raise issues they are unhappy about, ANet needs to have reasonable expectations and a sense of perspective.
I worked in retail for 10 years, and if I was able to have people say completely nasty, demeaning, horrible things right to my face and not crumple up in a sobbing, defeated heap, I certainly think ANet employees can handle a little caps-lock or slight sarcasm now and then.
Yes, there is a line that should not be crossed. There is behavior that no one should have to tolerate. But it does sometimes feel as though ANet is more worried about the tone of someone’s post than they are the content. Not all blunt words are disrespectful. Sometimes, they’re just honest. And yeah, it doesn’t always feel good. Trust me when I say I know this from experience. But when you can examine the core of the message without getting all hung up on how it was delivered, you are much better off in the long run.
[SNIP] We will then be opening up a new thread which will be discussing what we think has gone well and not so well (such as available time on my part)…
Chris,
While it’s true that I’m very unhappy with (what I perceive to be) such slavish adherence to the 2-week cadence without any true acknowledgement about how stressed and unhappy it makes many of us, I do have to say that I think both you and Bobby did very well in this thread in terms of participation.
In my opinion, you made the most of the time you had and I hope you don’t feel as though you didn’t participate enough. I may not have gotten the answers I wanted, but you were here, you listened, and you gave quite a bit of feedback yourself.
To summarize:
On a customer level, I doubt I’ll be purchasing gems or logging in any time soon. But on a personal level, I say: Job well done. Kudos.
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
Oh, by the way… Your moderators in their insane zealotry just wiped the WANTED: PIONEERS! post and every post containing it off the thread.
And I got infraction points for it as added spice.
Evidently because I dared to use ALL CAPS in the first line as a formating tool.
You have GOT to be kidding me. How ridiculous.
I seriously believe the moderation team should have to post under their own individual forum names to encourage some accountability for their actions, rather than allowing them to hide behind an anonymous “moderator” tag.
We are committed to quality not quantity.
Perhaps it would have been more accurate if I’d stated that you were prioritizing release dates over quality. I get that you guys have every intention to release quality content. You’re all very passionate and committed to what you do, and you obviously want to create things that people enjoy.
However, allow me to make an observation. I’ve noticed that when you discuss future content or features (other than Living Story), you never commit to a release date. My understanding was that this is because game design can be unpredictable: things change, features may not work exactly as you intended, bugs may pop up, or it may simply take more time to polish a feature for release than you intended. And you don’t want to release content before it is ready, hence…you never commit to a release date.
Except for when it comes to Living Story.
Suddenly, every two weeks, just like clockwork, there it is. Right on schedule. How, then, can it be that your priority is on the quality of the release, when you are committed to releasing it on a specific date no matter what?
If you are saying that you now have the ability to make sure that content is ready by a specific date, then surely you have the ability to commit to dates for all your releases (not just Living Story). But of course, we know that this isn’t the case.
So while you may want quality, it certainly isn’t your priority. It can’t be. Not on a specific release schedule. It’s impossible.
This said there is a lot we can and are doing to meet concerns regarding the cadence and really polish the positives we have already achieved in this area.
I would be really interested to know what you guys are doing to meet my concerns regarding the cadence. Because I honestly have no idea how you can do that while simultaneously stating that the cadence will continue unaltered no matter what any of us says.
The cadence is something we discuss frequently. We are a very collaborative team and do our best to never sweep anything under the rug (-:
I’m curious as to what these discussions are like. When you are having these discussions, does it ever come up that many people are vigorously opposed to it? Or is it the impression of the team that the current cadence is both popular and desired? If so, do you have any metrics to back this up?
Finally, a simple question:
Why are you unwilling to adjust the release cadence? What is the reason that it must continue, no matter what anyone says? Can you at least help us understand that?
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
Regarding Cadence of release: This is not something we plan to change in terms of timing and I wanted to make that clear from the outset.
Well, I guess that pretty much tells me everything I need to know about the future development of the game. Honestly, I still feel that whoever is in charge of this decision simply does not want to admit that it was a mistake, no matter how many times people say it. But if that is what you’re planning on sticking to… so be it.
I wish you the best of luck. It’s clear that this game is not for me. I just can’t support a game that insists on prioritizing quantity over quality. But at least now I know.
Ah well. Plenty of other games out there.
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
When i get some time i will be posting about the Living World cadence and entering that part of discussion with you all.
Hey, thanks, Chris. I really appreciate the heads up. Looking forward to your contributions (and have appreciated Bobby’s contributions as well). Much appreciated. :-)
One, it’s not “Players”, it’s “You.” You do not speak for anyone other than yourself.
Have you read this thread? It’s obviously not just me.
You’re right in that I do not speak for anyone other than myself, though. I don’t need to. All those other people are right here in this thread, saying the same thing that I am.
So is anyone from Anet going to respond to the pages and pages of feedback that the pace of Living Story releases is too fast? I feel like we’ve been saying it for months and being completely brushed off. Here’s my take on what’s been happening:
ANET: Hey guys, we’re going to give you Living Story updates every two weeks! Cool, huh?
Players: Um…that’s kind of…fast…don’t you think?
ANET: Nah, you’re going to love it! No one else is doing it! We’re unique!
Players: No, really, we’ve tried it, and it’s too fast. It’s kind of stressful actually. Can you slow it down a bit?
ANET: We’re committed to bringing you Living Story updates every two weeks! We’ll continue to work hard to make this happen, even though it limits the things we can do because of such a tight release schedule. But we’re doing this for you because we know how much you enjoy it
Players: No! Just stop it, okay? Please! We don’t like it. It’s burning us out. Are you even hearing us?
ANET: Hey, look at our new web advertisements! They say “Free DLC every two weeks!” Pretty slick, huh?
Players: <…sob!>
If you are going for the dramatic impact of a television show, you are going to have to find a way to do more high-quality cinematics at key story points — something you have already said takes too much time and resources (which, of course, is true if you are going to insist on a 2-week release schedule that many people do not want). If you want your in-game story to have impact, website stories are not going to cut it.
Also, while we should certainly find ourselves wondering what is going to happen next in the story (that’s half the fun of any story, right?) we should never find ourselves wondering what the heck is going on right now, or what we are supposed to be doing. Similarly, we should seldom find ourselves wondering how large chunks of the story even connect to each other.
Of course, all of this is assuming that I will even log in to play a Living Story chapter, which, presently, I won’t. As I’ve said many times, the 2-week pace is too fast, and forces people to rush to play the game your way, on your schedule.
And that…is a deal-breaker.
If you cannot find a way to either allow us to play through at least the MAJOR points of a Living Story chapter at our own pace, then this is simply not a game I see myself playing in the future.
Then there’s the matter of disappearing rewards that people who were not able to play during those 2 weeks are no longer able to earn. I shudder to suggest yet another form of currency here, but…can’t we do something like make all the current and past Living Story rewards (skins, minipets, etc.) available from an NPC Living Story merchant, similar to a karma vendor?
I get that you want everyone to have their Super Special Stuff that says “I was there!”, but the reality is that the ONLY people who like this are the ones holding on to their Super Special Stuff.
To all those who were excluded from an event through no fault of their own, what it actually says is:
“I was there! And you weren’t.”
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
I’m not going to feel bad if someone moves on to something else, each person is going to do what they feel is in their own interest.
Wow. Okay then.
I hope it’s okay if I admit that I feel the same way about you guys, too. :-)
Cheers.
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
I’m sure you aren’t the only one who enjoys it. But for many people (like myself) who do not want the continuous stress of time-gated, achievement-grinding, temporary content thrown at them relentlessly without any breaks, it is a complete deal-breaker.
Hate, hate, hate Living Story, and it needs to go away or at least be slowed down to a 2 or 3 month schedule.
Sorry thats not true…if you leave in World of Warcraft for all of tier x….and come back when tier y is out…there is no way in gods green earth your experiencing tier x….because you need others to do it.
Oh come on, now. Difficulty in finding enough people to help you complete old content is not in any way the same thing as having the content be removed so that you cannot complete it no matter how many people are willing to help you.
My point still stands. In most MMOs, content is not removed from the game after a short period of time, with the exception of holiday and/or occasional one-time events).
(edited by minbariguy.7504)
PVE:
1) Living Story (too much, too fast, too stressful, excludes players with real-life responsibilities)
2) Personal Story (Is it dead? Will there be more? Can we make it more engaging?)
3) Grind, grind, grind, grind. (Can we nerf the grind, please?)
I hope that you will acknowledge this: If you like “Permanent Content Only” games, then you have TONS of options available to you. But if you like “Living World Content” games, then you have precious few choices. I like the Living World Content better. That’s my cuppa. I hope GW2 doesn’t change that, because if they do then I have nowhere else to go to get it.
And if I had purchased a “Living World Content” game, I might agree with you. But I didn’t. I purchased a game with permanent content that made no mention of switching to this format a few months into it’s lifespan. This was a “bait and switch” type of situation. They sold me one type of game and then turned it into another. If I had known this would happen, I would have spent my money on one of those other games you mention.
As to your proposed monthly Living Story schedule.; to be honest, I just don’t know. It would be an improvement, certainly. Would it be enough to get me to log in? I might try it, but to be honest, I still think I would resent being pushed to play through content on ANet’s schedule. To me, the entire advantage of purchasing a no-subscription game is that you can take breaks whenever you like without punishment. Living Story completely negates that advantage.
Now, if they were to switch to a 2-month schedule, that would be six one-time events per year (and that still doesn’t include additional holiday events and rotating events) That is still much more than most games do, and it would give them time to make those events really special as opposed to the “click this and press F” grindfests that Living Story chapters are currently.
In nearly every other MMO, you can leave for 10 months, and when you return, the content will still be there waiting for you to complete it (with the exception of occasional one-time events).
I don’t mind GW2 having occasional one-time events, but the idea of having something released every 2 weeks that you have to play on ANet’s schedule or miss out on is a complete deal-breaker for me.
Also, just because someone wasn’t able to play through the content when it was first released does not mean that someone didn’t care enough to do so. Many people have life commitments that do not afford them the luxury to prioritize a video game. That does not mean they should be punished by being forced to miss out on content. That is silly.
[SNIP]
I understand that you want to create a living breathing world. What writer, what creator, doesn’t? BUT, you’re trying to create that world within a game, which people have to schedule time for around their real lives (not the opposite way). I hate to say it, but I feel punished for having to make a major life-changing move because there’s no way for me to catch up on the story I missed.
I agree with you so much it hurts, StarbornStriker. Which leads me to my main point, which is — since we are discussing the prioritizing of topics — that the pace, story, quality, temporary nature, and even the underlying philosophy of Living Story needs to be openly discussed, with responses by the dev team. I really feel that they are completely out of touch with how many of us feel about it and I really need them to listen and respond to our concerns.
This is absolutely my top priority, since it is the thing that is keeping me from logging in to the game.
After that, I think our sole focus should be discussing ways to add more types of currencies into the game, because there are simply not enough of them.
I kid, I kid!!! ;-)
Just got home. If it’s ok with everyone i am going to relax a bit with the family and get back to chatting tomorrow morning?
Meanwhile this is what i think the current status of the discussion is:
1: Yes to a forum on each of our core pages (WvW, PVE and PvP). One topic at a time. Each topic stays up for two days and then cycles and rotates? Ordering of priority of topics to be discussed.
2: Polls are generally a good idea. Discussion to continue about how they would work?Thanks for conversation i am really enjoying it. See you tomorrow,
Chris
Night, Chris. Yeah, like you said, you can’t be this active on the forums every day, but that’s completely understandable. Now relax. Have fun.
Nice job today. :-)
They also strike me as a rather desperate measure for an MMo company to take and almost acknowledges that their product is poor.
I see what you’re saying, but I guess I disagree. I get surveys printed on sales receipts at many stores and restaurants. It doesn’t strike me as desperate. It strikes me as interested.
Would in game polls affect the immersion for the player?
That is a very good question. Obviously for me, the answer is “no”, but this could be a real concern for others.
I wonder if it’s possible to have an in-game poll initiated by an NPC? Or if that would be overly complicated? I’m interested to hear what others have to say on the subject of in-game polls.
I want to echo the people who have recently been requesting in-game polls. Since currently there has been no real acknowledgement or response to player dissatisfaction with the pace of Living Story releases, I have chosen to simply not log in at all to avoid being counted as a “satisfied customer” in your concurrency metrics.
An in-game poll where I would have the chance to have my opinions actually be counted would be something worth logging in for.
Not apologizing for being a brit (-: Just pointing out the daily persecution i receive from my fellow developers (-:
Uppity colonists. Perhaps it’s time to tax their tea again! That’ll show ’em!
I will do my best to feedback but at the same time i hope people will respect the fact that there are just some things i won’t be able to go into.
Chris
Might I suggest that if you come up against a subject you cannot go into, you plainly identify it as such instead of just ignoring the post in question? That would help to manage expectations all around. Having someone think, “Ah rats, he can’t talk about that”, is much better than having them think “What the…? Is he just going to pretend he didn’t even see my post?”
Also, if the reception to Living Story is one of the things you can’t talk about, may Dwayna have mercy on your soul. ;-)
Hi All,
Through reading the posts i think it would be really useful for me to start a thread like ‘name one thing you would like to see improved in Guild Wars 2’ and then start riffing with you all on these subjects matters and try to make a more meaningful connection with you all that way by which we can define a process together for Collaborative Development?
I am also going to ask that we build out more time for team members to post and i will follow up with you all on that.
What do you think, does this sound like a good way to move forward?
Chris
First, thank you for getting back to us. Most appreciated.
Second, to answer your question…honestly I think that a single thread where everyone is posting on every single topic imaginable would be a bit unruly. Not that it isn’t worth a try, mind you, but really I think that all the information and feedback you are asking for already exists on these forums and can be discussed in their respective threads (which is really what I think many of us want).
But hey, any method you choose to improve communication is good.
[SNIP] …I think that you’re not taking enough ownership for your part in creating this environment. And, if you want change, you need to be that change too.
I think that’s an important point that deserves to be read a second time. And probably a third.
Actually, perhaps they should just print it out and tape it to a wall in their offices.
The communication pipeline in most part lacks one very important component. Specifically, ArenaNet having more time to feedback on your ideas, concerns and our own plans.
Chris, the reality is, though, that it isn’t that you don’t have time to give feedback to your player base. This statement makes it seem as though no one at ANet has any control over time allocation. It is far more likely that whoever is in charge is not making the time available for this to happen.
We do need to build out more time to be in dialog with you, specifically, following up on our own investigations of your suggestions and concerns.
We will work harder to achieves this.
Thank you for acknowledging this. I do wish that there was more of a concrete commitment here. Simply saying “We will work harder to achieve this” feels a bit like vague hand waving.
It is just frustrating when normal constructive feedback on player dissatisfaction with Living Story gets little to no response, and yet your response to unconstructive feedback is a quite lengthy (and pretty sincere, I think) post… in which you state that you guys don’t really respond to unconstructive feedback. It seems quite contradictory.
It is quite apparent that there has been a lot of negative feedback in regards to the quality, quantity, and pace of Living Story releases, yet there has been little to no response (or even casual acknowledgement) from you guys. If you allow that kind of frustration to fester, of course it is going to get progressively less and less constructive.
I feel that you guys are so focused on what you want to give us, you are refusing to hear what we actually want. So, this journey you are talking about taking us on? If it’s going to be all about what you want, then, to be honest… I’m not sure that I do want to go on it with you. Being dragged all over the place by someone who doesn’t care what you’re interested in, but keeps telling you “Hey, you’re going to love this next place I’m taking you to!” isn’t fun in the least. But if you’re open to discussing the itinerary and destination, then maybe we can plan this trip together.
Of course not, I’m suggesting that before committing a bunch of resources to LS they will look at their own data, like every company in the world would maybe?
Right. They will look at their own data and, just like every company in the world who is not infallible, may possibly misinterpret the data, make erroneous assumptions, or make mistakes with the execution of their plan.
Hence this thread. And many others like it. I am glad, however, that you acknowledge the possibility that ANet could be making the wrong call in regards to Living Story.
Yes. Cantha will be released, but only for one month. Then it will be taken away.
/sarcasm
I really doubt Anet, the company that made an extremely succesful CORPG known for it’s content updates would increase the ammount of LS per month without being certain that a large chunk of the comunity wants it, large gunk =/= everyone.
So…everything ANet does is what they are certain a large chunk of the community wants?
Seriously, everything?
Are you suggesting that they are incapable of making a mistake?
Yes and no . Complaining for complaint sake is pointless and achieves nothing . Constructive criticism is another story . Unfortunately constructive criticism is the exception not the rule on this forum
While I see your point, I’d argue that blindly praising the game for the sake of praising it is equally worthless, and achieves an equal amount of nothing. It provides absolutely no constructive feedback to let ANet know what, specifically, they are doing right.
Non-constructive praise isn’t any more worthwhile than non-constructive criticism.
I think from the prevalence of threads on these forums expressing dissatisfaction with Living Story, you can safely assume that you are not the only one who feels this way.
That said, your post here has no doubt awakened the Automated ANet Defense Drones (AADD’s) who are no doubt on their way to this very thread to defend the Living Story concept against your malicious and obviously deranged attack on it’s sovereignty, and to provide you with vapor-metrics to prove to you how, in fact, Living Story is actually the best thing since the inventions of Hot Pockets and the Microwave were combined to create a glorious new Utopia.
Run, my friend! Run!
[SNIP]
During the beta, Anet had surveys that we answered in game about the content. That means the mechanism is there to poll us in game.[SNIP]
Why don’t they do in game surveys again?
Dear sweet baby Abaddon, yes. Why don’t they, indeed? It gets extremely annoying to be constantly reminded that your feedback on the forums doesn’t matter because “the forums are only a minority” when, as you say, they have the mechanism to poll the majority.
Yes, agreed. The forums could use this (and a lot of other small tweaks, too, like “Date of Last Post”).