[Suggestion] Community sponsored maps

[Tekoneiric.6817]

There are many annoying gaps on the world map. I think many players would like to see them built out. I don't know what it costs to ANet to develop a map but I think players might be able to pull together to fund new maps in a community sponsored map program. It would be start with a descriptive proposal for a new PvE map on the forum, that connects to another map(s), have a period of open comments and a vote. When there is enough players supporting it on the forum put a gem store item that players would pay for. Players buying the item would be contributing to the development of the map. The item would give players current results of the funding pot. Once the map is created and goes live the gem store item would become a portal scroll to direct jump to the map. After the map goes live other players could continue to contribute by buying the (now) portal scroll on the gem store. If someone supports more than one map the second gem store item becomes a tome that can absorb the first portal scroll.

[costepj.5120]

I think we need fewer new maps, not more. The population is already getting thinly spread. The only saving grace is that there is very little reason to return to many of the LS maps once the story moves on.

[Incar.7358]

@costepj.5120 said:I think we need fewer new maps, not more. The population is already getting thinly spread. The only saving grace is that there is very little reason to return to many of the LS maps once the story moves on.

On the other hand, many people enjoy new zones to explore, events to do, and lore to find. 'thinly spread' or not - and I think that depends which world you're playing on - I regularly return to old zones to enjoy the content again.

[Omega.6801]

This sort of development can be seen in many crowdfunded projects and puts a lot of pressure on a development team. Imagine not only answering to your NCsoft overlords and their shareholders but also to a potentially angry mob of players who haven't gotten EXACTLY what they imagined the new map to be like.I doubt any established developer who is already backed up financially by a big company would take that route.

Edit: Last time the players voted, we got a fractal and people are still salty that we didn't get the other alternative. Just as an example of how this would go down ;)

[Tekoneiric.6817]

@costepj.5120 said:I think we need fewer new maps, not more. The population is already getting thinly spread. The only saving grace is that there is very little reason to return to many of the LS maps once the story moves on.

It's a virtual world. You can't expect every place to have high populations. Sometimes it's fun to go somewhere more populated and other times it's nice to just go somewhere empty to roam around.

[Dawdler.8521]

@Tekoneiric.6817 said:I don't know what it costs to ANet to develop a mapFar, far less than it takes them to properly fix an invisible 2x2x4 (roughly) meter wall section in WvW that's been MIA in the same time they've made at least 1 expansion and 4 or so living stories for PvE.

Just saying. Some things cost alot.

Apparently.

[Westenev.5289]

@Tekoneiric.6817 said:

@"costepj.5120" said:I think we need fewer new maps, not more. The population is already getting thinly spread. The only saving grace is that there is very little reason to return to many of the LS maps once the story moves on.

It's a virtual world. You can't expect every place to have high populations. Sometimes it's fun to go somewhere more populated and other times it's nice to just go somewhere empty to roam around.

It was also nice to log in and just tag into one of 6 active silverwastes maps 24/7. Nowadays it's sometimes a struggle to get enough people to do new meta events like drizzlewood on only one "active" map.