[Suggestion] Mail improvements with postcards and stamps system

[Makarow.3028]

Hello,Decided to refresh my very old idea (I know, someone posted something similar in 2019, but my original idea was from 2015 ;) ).

So I am asking for your feedback, ideas and opinions - would You like to see it in game?

Below gallery and features explained:

How to get them?They would be distributed in few ways:

Gemstore (gems)

• Player can buy 'special' singles/sets. They would have fixed price (and possible discount for sets).
• Sets should have Collection Achievement
• Postcards should cost around 125 gems, stamps around 75 (since they are minor cosmetics)

Trading Post (gold)

• Players would be able to trade stamps and postards which are non-account bound ones.

Vendors (gold, karma, currencies)

• Some vendors would provide 'unique' stamps/postcards (buyable only from vendor).
• Festival Stamps/Postcards (except gemstore ones)
• New Map Stamp(s)/Postcard(s)
• Uniques for collection (for example to travel around Tyria to get the most rare ones for collection achievement)
• PvP Collection
• WvW Collection

Open World & Jumping Puzzles

• Chance to receive random stamp (non-gemstore ones) on Jumping Puzzle (Jumping Puzzle series) completion or Doing World Boss (World Boss series). Maybe stamps/postcards from dungeons? Why not!
• Other idea is to make [unidentified Stamp/Postcard] - so people would have to 'check' what is this item (from very common to rare and hard to drop one).

Did they would be a single use item?No! Once you unlock stamp or postcard, you can use it infinitely.

Do they will be account bound?Some of will be. The non-bound ones would work like miniatures - as long as you won't add them to your collection ( = used ), they would be tradeable.

What Stamps/Postcards would provide?

• Collector's value (Achievement Points in Collections section)
• New aesthetics to personalize messages
• Small impact on gold/gems economy
• New activity (collecting) for players
• Stamp-Collector title? (for selected achievement)
• Postcard-Collector title? (for selected achievement)
• new mail received visuals (see gallery below)

Cool! But can you show example of collection?Sure!"Halloween Collection 1333AE" example (postcard + 6 stamps, 1AP if obtained 1 item, +1AP if obtained 3, +1AP if got all, 3AP in total) - 450 gems in gemstore for set:

• Halloween in Lion's Arch 1333AE Postcard
• Mad King Thorn 1333AE Stamp
• Halloween in Lion's Arch 1333AE Stamp
• Carving Pumpkins 1333AE Stamp
• Mad Memories 1333AE Stamp
• Steve the Chainsaw Skeleton 1333AE Stamp
• Mad King Says 1333AE Stamp

"Bjora Marches Collection" example ( 2 postcards + 4 stamps, 1AP if obtained 1 item, +1AP if obtained 3, +1AP if got all, 3AP in total):

• Bjora Marches Postcard (obtained by achievement)
• Boneskinner Stamp (possible drop from Raven Sanctum Strike Missions)
• Raven Spirit Stamp (possible drop from mobs on map)// second half added with new update
• Bjora Marches II Postcard (obtained by achievement)
• Drakkar Stamp (possible drop from Drakkar)
• Whisper of Jormag Stamp (possible drop from WoJ Strike Mission)

Gallery[That "popup" also would be Configurable in Settings, so it would be possible to turn it off, and size of it would be around 300 x 150 px]

[Fuchslein.8639]

Well, people pay for... chairs. People would pay for anything to look a little fancy. So why not.

Although I don't think that something like this will be implemented. And I personally don't care because I only use post to send items. And GW2 is already expensive enough in all currencies, that I don't start to collect stamps in a game.The idea is very special. And I don't know- if something like that would ever be on the schedule- if it should be in front of other things, which would appeal to more players.

[Vavume.8065]

I would very rarely ever use it, but if the stamps/postcards were some kind of card game then count me in.

[Omega.6801]

You put a lot of effort into this and it looks amazing. As Fuchslein said, people are paying gems for chairs, so there would probably be a market for this...probably not me, but there would be people I guess.

But: As long as people can't send more than three mails per minute, mail will never be a thing in this game. As long as this issue isn't fixed, I'd rather have ANet spend their resources on something else.

[Trise.2865]

Neat, but why? Surely "wish you were here" isn't much of a sentiment in Tyria... and archival/photographic records would just do what you've done here and create their own scrapbook out of screenshots, so...If there's a greater purpose to these, please explain it to me. I'm not seeing it.

[TheGrimm.5624]

@"Makarow.3028" said:Hello,Decided to refresh my very old idea (I know, someone posted something similar in 2019, but my original idea was from 2015 ;) ).

So I am asking for your feedback, ideas and opinions - would You like to see it in game?

Below gallery and features explained:

How to get them?They would be distributed in few ways:

Gemstore (gems)

• Player can buy 'special' singles/sets. They would have fixed price (and possible discount for sets).
• Sets should have Collection Achievement
• Postcards should cost around 125 gems, stamps around 75 (since they are minor cosmetics)

Trading Post (gold)

• Players would be able to trade stamps and postards which are non-account bound ones.

Vendors (gold, karma, currencies)

• Some vendors would provide 'unique' stamps/postcards (buyable only from vendor).
• Festival Stamps/Postcards (except gemstore ones)
• New Map Stamp(s)/Postcard(s)
• Uniques for collection (for example to travel around Tyria to get the most rare ones for collection achievement)
• PvP Collection
• WvW Collection

Open World & Jumping Puzzles

• Chance to receive random stamp (non-gemstore ones) on Jumping Puzzle (Jumping Puzzle series) completion or Doing World Boss (World Boss series). Maybe stamps/postcards from dungeons? Why not!
• Other idea is to make [unidentified Stamp/Postcard] - so people would have to 'check' what is this item (from very common to rare and hard to drop one).

Did they would be a single use item?No! Once you unlock stamp or postcard, you can use it infinitely.

Do they will be account bound?Some of will be. The non-bound ones would work like miniatures - as long as you won't add them to your collection ( = used ), they would be tradeable.

What Stamps/Postcards would provide?

• Collector's value (Achievement Points in Collections section)
• New aesthetics to personalize messages
• Small impact on gold/gems economy
• New activity (collecting) for players
• Stamp-Collector title? (for selected achievement)
• Postcard-Collector title? (for selected achievement)
• new mail received visuals (see gallery below)

Cool! But can you show example of collection?Sure!"Halloween Collection 1333AE" example (postcard + 6 stamps, 1AP if obtained 1 item, +1AP if obtained 3, +1AP if got all, 3AP in total) - 450 gems in gemstore for set:

• Halloween in Lion's Arch 1333AE Postcard
• Mad King Thorn 1333AE Stamp
• Halloween in Lion's Arch 1333AE Stamp
• Carving Pumpkins 1333AE Stamp
• Mad Memories 1333AE Stamp
• Steve the Chainsaw Skeleton 1333AE Stamp
• Mad King Says 1333AE Stamp

"Bjora Marches Collection" example ( 2 postcards + 4 stamps, 1AP if obtained 1 item, +1AP if obtained 3, +1AP if got all, 3AP in total):

• Bjora Marches Postcard (obtained by achievement)
• Boneskinner Stamp (possible drop from Raven Sanctum Strike Missions)
• Raven Spirit Stamp (possible drop from mobs on map)
  // second half added with new update
• Bjora Marches II Postcard (obtained by achievement)
• Drakkar Stamp (possible drop from Drakkar)
• Whisper of Jormag Stamp (possible drop from WoJ Strike Mission)

Gallery

[That "popup" also would be Configurable in Settings, so it would be possible to turn it off, and size of it would be around 300 x 150 px]

First off, your write up is stellar and done excellently. It's very thoughtful and well put.

Sinks are an important aspects to games, and promoting world exploration is a good thing. But if I had to weight this over additional things that did the same like legendary journeys I would prefer the time spent on legendary journeys or fixing other in game bugs that plague the playerbase.

Now that said, this is still well done and interesting if it had already been in game. So keep posting the idea and revising it. I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't show up in 3 down the road.

[Makarow.3028]

Reply to @Fuchslein.8639

Exactly - people pay for 'idle' Chairs. Why not for 'cosmetics' mail system?It would have similar purpose like Chair Novelties. Cosmetics which would add some fun factor (for specific targeted groups).

Reply to @Vavume.8065

I am working on GW2 Card Game, but printable one. ;)

Reply to @lokh.2695

I agree mail system is too 'agressively' adjusted. But implementation should be 70-80% UI scripting, rest would be for NPC inventory/drop items, achievement tracking etc.So it shouldn't be that much human resource consuming. Plus, it would be extension to actually implemented mail carriers.

Reply to @Trise.2865

People like collectibles (and chairs) - so idea was to give them more 'time fillers' (except part of gemstore stuff - this part would be just to monetize part of this cosmetics).It could add some small ideas to implement with future episodes (or retroactive update older ones).

For example minis - they have any purpose? Except that they just hang around your character? No, but many people like collect them or even spend dollars on.

Money spent on stamps/postcards could fuel more expensive to develop content.

Once implemented, it have really low factor in maintenance new supply of items - artworks are 2D. Ofcourse, some coding would happen for these where you can find in open world or at vendors, but it also would be reused from template.

Reply to @TheGrimm.5624

Like I wrote in reply to @Trise.2865, I'd see it more like money generator for other more costly development projects (for example my idea with Guild and Guild Hall Upgrades and reworks, since they have some crucial things to fix before Alliances will be launched).

It indeed would be a gold sink in game(depending how ANet would decide to make them expensive).

I am already working on rework of Postcard and Stamp UI select previews, so I should update it on days. :)

[kharmin.7683]

It would only be a gold sink if enough players utilized it.

[TheGrimm.5624]

@kharmin.7683 said:It would only be a gold sink if enough players utilized it.

Not sure I would agree here, could see it as a way for players to show off they had been somewhere special or out of reach. It could also be a way to tease about easter eggs. Image you can't send this post card unless you had been to this out of the way hidden alcove that had a shrine to an unknown spirit. Could be a way to expand exploration. Again, looking at it that I would prefer more Legendary journeys to fill this niche, but can see the potential in the concept.

[Makarow.3028]

@TheGrimm.5624 said:

@"kharmin.7683" said:It would only be a gold sink if enough players utilized it.

Not sure I would agree here, could see it as a way for players to show off they had been somewhere special or out of reach. It could also be a way to tease about easter eggs. Image you can't send this post card unless you had been to this out of the way hidden alcove that had a shrine to an unknown spirit. Could be a way to expand exploration. Again, looking at it that I would prefer more Legendary journeys to fill this niche, but can see the potential in the concept.

It have some easter egg potential. For example, you can make mini story and it can be part of it, for example obtainable item on completion / during progress (as collectible which can be reused in mailing system, equivalent of this mini tiger spirit during doing tiger's dens). Same with exploration potential. Postcards and Stamps can be hidden in JP chests, mini dungeons, hidden places. They can be also parts of legendary journeys. For example yours mentioned "unknown spirit" once encountered, says he had a letter to someone he loved but his sudden death prevented it. So we can be a messenger and as 'thank you' for doing it we can obtain unique postcard artwork to use. Possibilites how to use them and implement in game are many.

[Makarow.3028]

Reworked previews in Gallery, now should be more compact. :)