Future Content?

[Astralporing.1957]

@"Vasoka.3460" said:Whoah, whoah, whoah. Who said no more expansions? I distinctly remember some dev saying that "before the NEXT EXPANSION, where will be LS 5". That pretty much means there will be a next xpac.You remember wrong. What they said then was that there will be no expansion between ls4 and ls5, and there will be no expac in the foreseeable future. That was half a year before layoffs, and it was the last time any of the devs used the word "expac" in any form of statement about GW2 future.

Notice, that when they released their "plans for the future" recently, they didn't mention expac either, but they did say they believe their way of accomplishing their vision for GW2 lies through LS, and that they believe LS is the best way for it.

By now, anyone that believes them being completely silent on the issue of an expac is a sign they are working on something is really naive.

[Tails.9372]

@Linken.6345 said:

They never specified elite specs

And they don't have to as they stated that everything an expansion brings to the table can be done through living world which obviously includes e-specs.

[Vayne.8563]

I don't understand this necessity of people to invent stuff. There was nothing concrete said about no more expansions. We've heard in the past, before the first expansions that no expansions were planned and now we have two. Anet doesn't make or stick to long term plans, very often. They only say their current thoughts on that matter. All they've really said is that Season 5 follows Season 4. They've never said there'll never be another expansion again. They may have said one isn't in the works, or we aren't planning on one at this time either, which is certainly not concrete.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:

They never specified elite specs

And they don't have to as they stated that everything an expansion brings to the table can be done through living world which obviously includes e-specs.in the first year of the game they said, that things like new classes could be introduced through LS and do not need expacs. Yet notice how the only class they've introduced after that came by the way of an expansion, not through a living story content.

"Can be done" is not the same as "will be done". Yes, theoretically they could do elite specs through living world. This doesn't mean they will do them through living world. Nor does it mean they even plan on doing them that way. Or whether they plan on doing any new especs at all.

@Vayne.8563 said:I don't understand this necessity of people to invent stuff. There was nothing concrete said about no more expansions. We've heard in the past, before the first expansions that no expansions were planned and now we have two. Anet doesn't make or stick to long term plans, very often. They only say their current thoughts on that matter. All they've really said is that Season 5 follows Season 4. They've never said there'll never be another expansion again. They may have said one isn't in the works, or we aren't planning on one at this time either, which is certainly not concrete.

Of course it's not concrete insofar as they could change their mind half a year or a year from now. Notice however, that making an expac is not a fast process. It's not something they could have in half a year (or even a year) from the point when they've decided they want one. It would require anywhere upwards of 18 months at the very least (with more realistic timeframe being around 2 years). So, if they'd start working on an expac right now, the earliest we could get it is first half of 2021. If they aren't working on one now, and don't plan on starting right away, this moves even further away.

That...is awfully late. Probably too late to matter - by then either they will make the expacless design work, or they won't and the damage will be already done.

[Vayne.8563]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Tails.9372 said:

@"Linken.6345" said:

They never specified elite specs

And they don't have to as they stated that everything an expansion brings to the table can be done through living world which obviously includes e-specs.in the first year of the game they said, that things like new classes could be introduced through LS and do not need expacs. Yet notice how the only class they've introduced after that came by the way of an expansion, not through a living story content.

"Can be done" is not the same as "will be done". Yes, theoretically they could do elite specs through living world. This doesn't mean they will do them through living world. Nor does it mean they even plan on doing them that way. Or whether they plan on doing any new especs at all.

@Vayne.8563 said:I don't understand this necessity of people to invent stuff. There was nothing concrete said about no more expansions. We've heard in the past, before the first expansions that no expansions were planned and now we have two. Anet doesn't make or stick to long term plans, very often. They only say their current thoughts on that matter. All they've really said is that Season 5 follows Season 4. They've never said there'll never be another expansion again. They may have said one isn't in the works, or we aren't planning on one at this time either, which is certainly not concrete.

Of course it's not concrete insofar as they could change their mind half a year or a year from now. Notice however, that making an expac is not a fast process. It's not something they could have in half a year (or even a year) from the point when they've decided they want one. It would require anywhere upwards of 18 months at the very least (with more realistic timeframe being around 2 years). So, if they'd start working on an expac right now, the earliest we could get it is first half of 2021. If they aren't working on one now, and don't plan on starting right away, this moves even further away.

That...is awfully late. Probably too late to matter - by then either they will make the expacless design work, or they won't and the damage will be already done.

The point is the last time they were working on an expansion they didn't acknowledge the expansion at all. For all you know the bits and pieces they need to make one are in progress. The question becomes how they deliver those bits and pieces.

[Tails.9372]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

in the first year of the game they said, that things like new classes could be introduced through LS and do not need expacs. Yet notice how the only class they've introduced after that came by the way of an expansion, not through a living story content.

People said pretty much the same thing about mounts back then (if they haven't done them until know then why would they at this point) and then PoF happend. Just because they haven't done it until now doesn't mean that they won't do it at some point in the future.

@Astralporing.1957 said:

"Can be done" is not the same as "will be done". Yes, theoretically they could do elite specs through living world. This doesn't mean they will do them through living world. Nor does it mean they even plan on doing them that way. Or whether they plan on doing any new especs at all.

And? I never said "be ready guys we're going to get e-specs in LWS5" so what's your point?

[Astralporing.1957]

@Vayne.8563 said:The point is the last time they were working on an expansion they didn't acknowledge the expansion at all.That's not true. We knew they were working on next expac as soon as Hot got released. We didn't know any details, but Anet did keep mentioning the expac team and the fact they are hard at work all the time.

[Rizzler.8497]

@"derd.6413" said:new classes and races were never going to happen but no, the game isn't going into maintenance mode

Everyone say "there will never be a new race, they had to create a whole new starter story" Ehm, do it like deathknight's in wow, let them start at 80 (i know deathknights didnt start at max lvl, but here we could thanks to the mastery system) i mean why not when you got a lvl 80 char, you can create a lvl 80 tengu for example, the armor design wouldnt be so hard to rig tbh.

[derd.6413]

@Rizzler.8497 said:

@"derd.6413" said:new classes and races were never going to happen but no, the game isn't going into maintenance mode

Everyone say "there will never be a new race, they had to create a whole new starter story" Ehm, do it like deathknight's in wow, let them start at 80 (i know deathknights didnt start at max lvl, but here we could thanks to the mastery system) i mean why not when you got a lvl 80 char, you can create a lvl 80 tengu for example, the armor design wouldnt be so hard to rig tbh.

mate that's not the issue at all it's more the unrealistic workload (voice lines, armor, etc.)

[Vayne.8563]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Vayne.8563 said:The point is the last time they were working on an expansion they didn't acknowledge the expansion at all.That's not true. We knew they were working on next expac as soon as Hot got released. We didn't know any details, but Anet did keep mentioning the expac team and the fact they are hard at work all the time.

Yes, I meant before sorry. As in the last time they said there'd be no expansions, rather than the last expansion. Before the first expansion Anet said there would be no expansions and content would be delivered through the living world system. At the same time. NcSoft said there would be expansions. To me it seems like Anet doesn't want to do expansions but NcSoft wants them to and NcSoft is going to end up having the final say, seeing as they own Anet. Anet didn't say they'd lay off employees. NcSoft made that decision. If NcSoft wants an expansion an expansion will come.

[ChronoPinoyX.7923]

At this point, I can only really blame NCSoft for what's currently happening. They were too focused on trying to make new IP that this game took the brunt of that hit.

Pretty sure it was Jessica who mentioned that NCSoft pretty much had ANet people working on other projects that never came to see the light of day and the resources they could have used improving current IP were wasted.

Either way, I doubt GW2 is going into Maintenance Mode. If anything, they do great with continuing to provide content. The only reason first GW went to Maintenance Mode was because they already went too far ahead into that game in terms of establishing its foundation and core mechanics that if they tried to add new mechanics, it just wouldn't work or it would take the game being completely overhauled to get certain functionalities that they wanted. So they made GW2 instead.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Vayne.8563 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Vayne.8563 said:The point is the last time they were working on an expansion they didn't acknowledge the expansion at all.That's not true. We knew they were working on next expac as soon as Hot got released. We didn't know any details, but Anet did keep mentioning the expac team and the fact they are hard at work all the time.

Yes, I meant before sorry. As in the last time they said there'd be no expansions, rather than the last expansion. Before the first expansion Anet said there would be no expansions and content would be delivered through the living world system. At the same time. NcSoft said there would be expansions. To me it seems like Anet doesn't want to do expansions but NcSoft wants them to and NcSoft is going to end up having the final say, seeing as they own Anet. Anet didn't say they'd lay off employees. NcSoft made that decision. If NcSoft wants an expansion an expansion will come.

Sure, but no matter how much NCSoft might want it, they won't make Anet release an expansion faster than they can make it. Also, NCSoft kept mentioning expansions because they knew of the positive PR effect (for both the players, and shareholders) just mere mentioning them has. If they were to push Anet into going back to expansion model again, they'd be unlikely to do that without pushing them as well towards announcing it.

The problem isn't whether Anet won't change their mind later. The problem is when that later will be. An expac four years away from now isn't going to help. We can't even be sure the game will still be healthy 4 years from now.

[Vayne.8563]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Vayne.8563 said:

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Vayne.8563 said:The point is the last time they were working on an expansion they didn't acknowledge the expansion at all.That's not true. We knew they were working on next expac as soon as Hot got released. We didn't know any details, but Anet did keep mentioning the expac team and the fact they are hard at work all the time.

Yes, I meant before sorry. As in the last time they said there'd be no expansions, rather than the last expansion. Before the first expansion Anet said there would be no expansions and content would be delivered through the living world system. At the same time. NcSoft said there would be expansions. To me it seems like Anet doesn't want to do expansions but NcSoft wants them to and NcSoft is going to end up having the final say, seeing as they own Anet. Anet didn't say they'd lay off employees. NcSoft made that decision. If NcSoft wants an expansion an expansion will come.

Sure, but no matter how much NCSoft might want it, they won't make Anet release an expansion faster than they can make it. Also, NCSoft kept mentioning expansions because they knew of the positive PR effect (for both the players, and shareholders) just mere mentioning them has. If they were to push Anet into going back to expansion model again, they'd be unlikely to do that without pushing them as well towards

announcing

it.

The problem isn't whether Anet won't change their mind later. The problem is

when

that later will be. An expac four years away from now isn't going to help. We can't even be sure the game will still be healthy 4 years from now.

Seems like you and I are having difference conversations. The person I quoted implied that not having expansions was "set in stone". I was pointing out that Anet never said it was set in stone, only that one wasn't coming out after Season 4. No one who doesn't work at Anet knows what's going on behind the scenes right now, so all you can do, like all I can do, is guess. We know they're working on content. That content can be delivered as an expac or it can be delivered through living story. Just because they don't say right now they're actively working on an expansion, doesn't mean the content they are working on can't be used in an expansion. And either way what I say remains absolutely true. Anet never definitively said there would be no more expansions.

My big issue is the presentation of misinformation. I'm not saying an expansion is imminent. I'm just saying it hasn't been dismissed. And that's ALL I'm saying.

[Zaklex.6308]

@Astralporing.1957 said:~snip~

Of course it's not concrete insofar as they could change their mind half a year or a year from now. Notice however, that making an expac is not a fast process. It's not something they could have in half a year (or even a year) from the point when they've decided they want one. It would require anywhere upwards of 18 months at the very least (with more realistic timeframe being around 2 years). So, if they'd start working on an expac right now, the earliest we could get it is first half of 2021. If they aren't working on one now, and don't plan on starting right away, this moves even further away.

That...is awfully late. Probably too late to matter - by then either they will make the expacless design work, or they won't and the damage will be already done.

We know ArenaNet has/had a storyboard with the entire outline of the GW2 story on it at one point, and they might still be following that internal road map. That is what allowed them to make HoT in 24 months(18 if you just want to count the actual development time and leave out the pre-production). So they can do it, and they can do it in a shorter time frame if the story is already outlined and you have a long list of future features you want to include. They could have a single team working on future features for future content, so that when it comes time to make that content the tools and features are already there, plug and build so to speak(sort of like plug and play). Is it likely, we don't know, all we can go on is their statements and that one post from Mike Z., until we get the next one(if they remember to keep up with providing more information to us).