Nemmar.8491

So, you want for people to be able to just jump in, and have fun, and you disliked grinding for Ascension equipment - yet you still advocate for more gear grind? Makes perfect sense yea :D I resent gear grind approach, I would quit the game if it would start to force me to constantly grind for anything at all, I hate grinding and farming. And as for progression, I think masteries is more than enough for that. It's a system which can be re-used many times, for each huge region added via expansion. If done right, like in HoT (and even better), you find yourself on a new map, totally unprepared for it, and slowly "learn your surroundings", getting more abilities to navigate it and access content there, getting better at some gameplay elements which only make sense in this particular region. I would even go further, making it a region-specific part of your build. Like, assuming you are going to Maguma jungle, you are opening a new window, and assign certain Masteries to certain mastery slots, which define how well you are adjusted to this environment. I.e. it would be a separate mastery trait line, so, in case of HoT maps for example, you wouldn't be able to always have full access to all gliding features and shrooms features at the same time, and would have to cut corners. Then the same approach could be brought to Fractals and Raids, making all those "Mastery traits" mean something for a group of players as well. Like, if one takes certain gliding abilities, they can propagate it to a few other players close to them, so they won't need to take it themselves, and could slot some other mastery which in its turn can be shared across the group. You got the idea. Some masteries could be only allowed to be chosen by one of the group members, like, for example, certain mounts giving you too much advantage on this map; so if your group need access to it, a dedicated member on your group will need to handle it. Adding more challenging content to Raids / Fractals requiring you to be good at using mounts would help here as well. I mean, i shouldn't even bother to explain basic things to people.Vertical progression allows things like for example being able to get ascended gear with the living map currencies and have the end-game gear drop from the actual greastest challenge in the game. This is not "grind", it's called PROGRESSION. It populates both the outer world and the instanced world. Wich is what GW2 does not have and needs. At this point, to get into end-content you need to have an ascended set already, wich takes weeks to get, after wich you don't even need to do end-game content at all, cause there is no more progression. Why is this so difficult to understand? I know you guys are probably still here cause you don't care. But, most people do.Btw masteries are mostly useless. No one keeps playing cause of those. They are flavor. Nice idea, but they don't replace a progression system. Like for example a new player that want to come in and tank or heal for their guild. Do you know how much work they have to put in before they can? Exotic gear is useless. It's missing important stats like concentration. You cannot perform your job efficiently without the proper gear. So, the player either stays in a grind for weeks to craft that gear only to no longer have rewards to look forward to, or just gives up and leaves. I honestly don't care that you refuse to see reality. It is still reality. The game needs to change or it will die. It's that simple. If you prefer it dies, so be it. It's your prerogative. You want to go down with the ship. Well... i want to try and save it. Thus i left different feedback. Deal with it.

No there doesn't, at least not for every game (in form of constant gear grind). GW2 has a USP in this area. If you need a carrot on a stick to keep playing the game, you are not the target audience. Going down the same road as every single other MMO does only 2 things:alienate part of your core player baseoffer game play to a segment of players which could go to any other MMO thus putting you in direct competition for those players Why in their right mind would ANY developer decide to go down this road? I think you are a bit confused.The F2P players are not at all profitable. Only the whales are. They are the ones that keep the game afloat.Sure, you can just keep relying on micro-transactions from whales while the world keeps losing population, or you can think about capturing a wider paying audience. Alienating the F2P players is far from a big loss, not that it needs to happen. Gaining a more stable revenue source sounds like a better business decision to me. You want players playing your game, to be engaged, or they won't really be spending money. For that, you need compelling recurring gameplay. That is what GW2 lacks. The world exploration and the story missions are entertaining, but they last a couple of days at best. The instanced repeatable gameplay loses it's appeal quickly when there's no character progression. I am surprised you think so little of the team and the GW IP, that you think it wouldn't have a chance versus other MMO's in the market. I disagree with that. But, i have to say that i don't understand why vertical progression means "alienating the playerbase". It would give the game a much more vibrant dynamic where maps can feel as rewarding as season 3's were (thinking of the snow one mostly) and the later gear can be achieved from actual gameplay rather than crafting or a complex and costly collection. People just want to jump in and have fun you know. I don't understand why everything in this game has to be a barrier to fun. Ascended gear is necessary to even attempt many of the meta builds. It's such a huge barrier to just want to decide to heal, for example. It takes you weeks of grinding, crafting and collecting just to get to the fun part, and when you do, you have no reason to continue. It's just not fun. I know many players out there felt the same way and such a system would exactly be what the game needs to be more accessible, immediately fun and to have compelling progression. An expansion or large patch would be the perfect opportunity to bring such a system in. Two missconceptions: A.) all whale players would want vertical progression.B.) a game which has only 1-10% of its player base is lucrative or sees play. The rest is heavy biased subjective OPINION. You are the odd apple out. I guarantee you, with the current player base, introducing vertical progression would hit a lot more nerves than people who agree. I ask again: why would any sensible company risk this? (especially with past experiences, like when ascended got introduced). This has nothing to do with what I think or believe. It's simple market analysis and sensible competitive selection. You can try to butter up nonsense as much as you like. A certain player type was drawn to GW2, and many of them enjoy the non vertical progressive nature. You are literally not seeing the big picture due to personal bias. Well... i guess that after the recent news, my position was more realistic. Wether it's the majority or not. I guess it says everything.Guild wars needs better retention systems and gameplay/payment options. Or i guess we can all continue to pretend everything is alright as Anet downsizes and eventually gets shut down by NCsoft. Money m'boy. You gotta follow it. GW2 isn't making enough of it. And honestly, i would rather lootboxes not be the solution as that won't work long term either. So, disagree all you want, say it's my opinion all you want and say that i am a minority all you want. Reality stands with me. Your stubbornness is risking the future of Guild Wars. It's time to admit it has to change before it's too late. What are you smoking? If at all the recent news (if you are up to date) clearly indicates that non GW2 related projects are iced.... Aka, a refocus on GW2 and making money off of that and certainly not alienate that fan base. EDIT: since you added things: You did read that non GW2 related projects were cancelled? What Arenanet will likely do is focus on monetizing GW2 WITHIN the scope of its strengths. If you think this means gear progression, you are out of your mind.You obviously don't get what is going on. Non related projects are cancelled cause they don't have money to carry them out. GW2 is all they got. They backed themselves into a corner. Can you not see? If GW2 doesn't turn around and start making a lot of money, it's the end. Again, with the stubbornness. You will take it all the way to closure won't you? I really don't want to talk with you anymore. I actually love GW more and want it to carry on.

No there doesn't, at least not for every game (in form of constant gear grind). GW2 has a USP in this area. If you need a carrot on a stick to keep playing the game, you are not the target audience. Going down the same road as every single other MMO does only 2 things:alienate part of your core player baseoffer game play to a segment of players which could go to any other MMO thus putting you in direct competition for those players Why in their right mind would ANY developer decide to go down this road? I think you are a bit confused.The F2P players are not at all profitable. Only the whales are. They are the ones that keep the game afloat.Sure, you can just keep relying on micro-transactions from whales while the world keeps losing population, or you can think about capturing a wider paying audience. Alienating the F2P players is far from a big loss, not that it needs to happen. Gaining a more stable revenue source sounds like a better business decision to me. You want players playing your game, to be engaged, or they won't really be spending money. For that, you need compelling recurring gameplay. That is what GW2 lacks. The world exploration and the story missions are entertaining, but they last a couple of days at best. The instanced repeatable gameplay loses it's appeal quickly when there's no character progression. I am surprised you think so little of the team and the GW IP, that you think it wouldn't have a chance versus other MMO's in the market. I disagree with that. But, i have to say that i don't understand why vertical progression means "alienating the playerbase". It would give the game a much more vibrant dynamic where maps can feel as rewarding as season 3's were (thinking of the snow one mostly) and the later gear can be achieved from actual gameplay rather than crafting or a complex and costly collection. People just want to jump in and have fun you know. I don't understand why everything in this game has to be a barrier to fun. Ascended gear is necessary to even attempt many of the meta builds. It's such a huge barrier to just want to decide to heal, for example. It takes you weeks of grinding, crafting and collecting just to get to the fun part, and when you do, you have no reason to continue. It's just not fun. I know many players out there felt the same way and such a system would exactly be what the game needs to be more accessible, immediately fun and to have compelling progression. An expansion or large patch would be the perfect opportunity to bring such a system in. Two missconceptions: A.) all whale players would want vertical progression.B.) a game which has only 1-10% of its player base is lucrative or sees play. The rest is heavy biased subjective OPINION. You are the odd apple out. I guarantee you, with the current player base, introducing vertical progression would hit a lot more nerves than people who agree. I ask again: why would any sensible company risk this? (especially with past experiences, like when ascended got introduced). This has nothing to do with what I think or believe. It's simple market analysis and sensible competitive selection. You can try to butter up nonsense as much as you like. A certain player type was drawn to GW2, and many of them enjoy the non vertical progressive nature. You are literally not seeing the big picture due to personal bias. Well... i guess that after the recent news, my position was more realistic. Wether it's the majority or not. I guess it says everything. Guild wars needs better retention systems and gameplay/payment options. Or i guess we can all continue to pretend everything is alright as Anet downsizes and eventually gets shut down by NCsoft. Money m'boy. You gotta follow it. GW2 isn't making enough of it. And honestly, i would rather lootboxes not be the solution as that won't work long term either. So, disagree all you want, say it's my opinion all you want and say that i am a minority all you want. Reality stands with me. Your stubbornness is risking the future of Guild Wars. It's time to admit it has to change before it's too late.

No there doesn't, at least not for every game (in form of constant gear grind). GW2 has a USP in this area. If you need a carrot on a stick to keep playing the game, you are not the target audience. Going down the same road as every single other MMO does only 2 things:alienate part of your core player baseoffer game play to a segment of players which could go to any other MMO thus putting you in direct competition for those players Why in their right mind would ANY developer decide to go down this road? I think you are a bit confused.The F2P players are not at all profitable. Only the whales are. They are the ones that keep the game afloat.Sure, you can just keep relying on micro-transactions from whales while the world keeps losing population, or you can think about capturing a wider paying audience. Alienating the F2P players is far from a big loss, not that it needs to happen. Gaining a more stable revenue source sounds like a better business decision to me. You want players playing your game, to be engaged, or they won't really be spending money. For that, you need compelling recurring gameplay. That is what GW2 lacks. The world exploration and the story missions are entertaining, but they last a couple of days at best. The instanced repeatable gameplay loses it's appeal quickly when there's no character progression. I am surprised you think so little of the team and the GW IP, that you think it wouldn't have a chance versus other MMO's in the market. I disagree with that. But, i have to say that i don't understand why vertical progression means "alienating the playerbase". It would give the game a much more vibrant dynamic where maps can feel as rewarding as season 3's were (thinking of the snow one mostly) and the later gear can be achieved from actual gameplay rather than crafting or a complex and costly collection. People just want to jump in and have fun you know. I don't understand why everything in this game has to be a barrier to fun. Ascended gear is necessary to even attempt many of the meta builds. It's such a huge barrier to just want to decide to heal, for example. It takes you weeks of grinding, crafting and collecting just to get to the fun part, and when you do, you have no reason to continue. It's just not fun. I know many players out there felt the same way and such a system would exactly be what the game needs to be more accessible, immediately fun and to have compelling progression. An expansion or large patch would be the perfect opportunity to bring such a system in.

You can play gw2 without the expansions just fine. In gw1 you were at a disadvantage without the expansions. That is a funny thing to say. I would like to know why you say that. Is it because of the skills that were unlocked with a new expansion? Is it not the same as the elite specializations and their skills nowadays? Also, how are you not at a disavantage without a glider and mounts? :expressionless:

Any boss event has lots of dead people. I'm constantly resing. This is how the game is balanced. I don't think it is so much open to interpretation as a fact. If you stand in front of a boss or in a red circle and get hit you will get 1 or 2 shot. This is because you can dodge and negate the whole damage. Obviously, if you are fighting a tiny mob out in the world it's not really representative. I'm sure it will still hurt if you don't dodge or heal a bit though. Anyways, i know that there are many long rooted GW fans that really have a hard time changing their ways. I know. I used to be one back in the day, but GW1 was a very different game from GW2 and the realities of the MMO space have changed. To hold on to old tropes (or misguided notions that it can break with mmo design just cause) is what is actually holding back GW2 from being better.I did say trinity is necessary for instanced content, not outworld. Don't think of it as only one profession can do one thing. This is up to class design. In GW1 you could really tank with any profession given the right build... or heal. Of course, some were more efficient than others. The sub option should not actually drive anyone away as the F2P players will still have the same options they do now. So, i don't know exactly why they would leave. As for looking fondly. Nostalgia will always be a factor on every game. You tend to remember the good times more than the bad ones.I can tell you though, that i don't have very many from GW2. The highlight has been the story missions. Some great work goes into those and i am always amazed at the boss encounters they make wich are on par with a raid boss encounters. But i remember almost every aspect of GW1 findly. This was because it was such a joy to play. The combat was amazing. Just things like random arena were a ton of fun as you adjusted to the meta of the moment. The elite missions, the story's themselves were far richer. Not to be funny, but while i enjoy GW2 story mode, it has done little more than burn through GW1 lore. The advantages of vertical progression is that your character grows in strength. You want to go into the next raid/dungeon because it will progress your character. Character progression reaches a halt in horizontal progression. At that point you go for cosmetics. But, what if you already got the cosmetic you want? Then you have no incentive to keep playing. There needs to be a carrot on a stick to keep players playing.Hmm i didn't really mention leveling. Though i guess increasing levels with expansions would be an idea to differentiate the gear tiers in zones. Honestly, it's just like the game already works. There wouldn't be any change.

Expansions are very important for MMO's. They bring a lot of coverage and "box" sales from players that tend to buy these expansions for the event, go through it, some stay, some leave. It is the best way to bring people back to the game, and existing players only gain from that as well. Now, i will leave my impressions on what i think the problems are with GW2 and why in my opinion it is not a raving sucess.First, the good. The single player story/scenarios are quite frankly, amazing. The maps are a joy to explore. The outworld feels alive, even if not always populated.I love those aspects of the game and they do fill me with joy every time i play the game. But, i can never stay around too long. Why? Here are the issues i see, wich can be addressed within the current game.The achievement/tracking system instead of a quest system. It is hidden, messy, difficult to navigate and unclear. Actually, it's a problem at large with the game. Everything is complex and unclear. It is a huge deterrent.The horizontal progression. It just never worked the way it worked on GW1. GW1 was a different type of game. Every campaign was a new beginning and it ended in the same place. That is not the case in GW2. The game continues. So, at this point there is a need to have rewards for continuation. The current end-game design of GW2 is farming and collecting. This worked for GW1 due again, to the kind of game it was. The grinds weren't as bad since they were less and were a few per campaign. Nowadays, these are not enough incentive for players to keep playing. A new raid? A new dungeon? So what? What is the point? Why should i come back?Not only that, but ascended gear itself feels unrewarding. It is "mildly" difficult to acquire without a considerable time investment, but it still acts as a gate for end-game content. Then comes a patch that changes balance and now you need to grind another month to craft another set. No, this just does not keep players invested. The plus side of vertical progression is that is makes the previous gear easier to aquire and give you an objective for the next gear set. Motivation to run the new content and continue playing the game on top of all the cosmetic incentives.Also, must i mention how unfun it is to constantly mange inventory in this game? I would also add a recommendation. I know there are many players that flocked to GW cause its B2P/F2P. But that very nature and it's reliance on the cash shop is a deterrent for many other players who are not used to having their enjoyment of the game behind micro transactions and prefer just having a subscription with privileged access and without barriers. That is an idea as well. Not all of us are skint, and would just like to play a game that isn't sliced in a hundred little pieces with a price tag on it. Now, things i am unsure can be solved in GW2, and would probably require a GW3.The combat. It feels so unsatisfying. It feels loose, as does movement, but in a weird way, where it feels you might just fall through the ground at any moment. I think one just has to play GW1 to see how much tighter the combat was.The trinity. Honestly, it was a great sales pitch to say "we will break with the trinity", but i hope that by now it's become clear to everyone why the trinity works for cooperative MMO's in instanced content. It urges teamwork, with defined roles. GW2 is quite honestly a mess, and it comes from again, the combat and mechanics. The dodge mechanic and the downed mechanic that are so OP that player character have to be made out of thin paper. Everything kills you pretty easily. Being dead all the time is not really fun. Being one-shot constantly is not really fun. The whole thing is terribly unbalanced and just not fun. That is a major issue wich i believe deters more players from staying with the game. So, in conclusion. Yes, expansions are important to keep the game alive. Going only living world will just lead to a slow death as new players don't come in.A new game (GW3) would make sense in order to make a game that can retain players better. A retooling of GW2 would also work, but obviously is a major undertaking. I don't think GW3 is in the horizon anytime soon and i am afraid it will fall in the same traps GW2 did in trying to be different for different sake. There are conventions that work, and that is why they still persist. Trust that the GW IP is capable of delivering the differentiation without having to break with everything and creating a non-rewarding game. You got the story and exploration right. These are your strong points, now bring the rest up to par.

I only want a GW3 if they make the combat more like GW1. Otherwise just keep with GW2. Honestly it's still one of the best looking MMO's in the market. As for the issues above. I really think WvW should be retired and resources used to develop new types of content or balancing the remaining ones. WvW is a convoluted mess that doesn't run properly in most machines. It actually does the game no favors.

I want Cantha and more dungeons. Dungeons are content designed for Exotic gear. Fractals require Ascended gear. So, if you want to vary your gameplay, Dungeons are the best content choice. Either that or they make all Agony account wide. Still, i find a more relaxed Dungeon run something that is very enjoyable and you can use to learn how to play your class in a low pressure group envyronment. I do wish they were more popular. Getting groups can be challenging. I would like to see all classic professions added as either professions or elite specs (monk, ritualist, assassin, paragon, dervish). I guess i'm not very original, but i love the original GW. So, i'd love to see all of it return so we actually get a GW2 continuation. It's great to think about revisiting Kaineng, the monastery, the jade see and the petrified forest.

Quite honestly, I wish GW2 was never a thing. I consider it a failure and back step from Guild wars and I know i'm not the only one. Anet tried to strike lightning in a bottle twice and while it convinced some critics at launch that don't play for very long, it completely dropped the ball and isn't the popular success the original was. Knowing anet, they would try to strike lightning again instead of learning what worked and improving on it. GW2 is worth it for the maps. That is pretty much it. They also made a lot of good ones in GW1, but these are a lot better in terms of exploration and dynamic events/metas Now, if a GW3 were to be GW1 combat system as a basis and gameplay systems with GW2 maps (AKA what many of us dreamed it would be), sure, I'd be up for it. But Anet won't do that. Though even from a story POV we could benefit from a format where the story is more serious again.

Deep sea dragon + Cantha.

I completely disagree. The bosses were alot of fun.Some people expect everything to fall over at their presence. That is boring. These bosses are some of the most exhilarating bosses I have seen. Amazing new takes on telegraphs and movement during fights. Honestly the complaining is unwarranted. Once you have tried it once, all of the encounters become trivial. So, this is perfectly balanced.

Hello Mike. First of all let me apologize because i didn't have time to read this whole thread before posting but i want to drop a bit of feedback.I have a degree on Marketing myself, but i do think that the most important angle here is the gamer angle. From what i know of gamers, they don't like being told what to do or think. When you make a trailer with quotes from people saying how much they loved the game, it sounds reaching. Sounds like you are feeling the need to do this because you don't have a very good game and need to pamper it (wich isn't the case!). I think that kind of gamer communication is better in it's origin sources. Let that information flow by itself, don't try to involve yourself in it as it will make it look biased. As far as trailers to celebrate the game, i have the opinion that footage (not just an image in this case) is worth a thousand words. Show us footage from the live servers. One of the most amazing things in GW2 are the large scale taxi's for meta's and Bounty hunts. Show how many people there were on those. How amazing it was to play the game. Don't say it, show it! Show your players enjoying the game in great numbers. I find that is the biggest motivator to playing an mmo. Knowing you have alot of people to play with. If you put some text in, let it be just all the content you are offering. The other thing and more in regard with reveal trailers and exciting people is to show a villain that makes sense and is frightning. This isn't your field as you are not a developer, but Balthazar was difficult to sell. He was always on the run and never made especially threatning action. That is where the competition definitely trumps GW2. Villains need to be better developed and frightning. Their action has to have had consequence and shaken up the world already. The people you want to appeal to, don't know GW lore. So, a villain that is understandable and is not only a threat but has already delivered on that threat is the thing that calls you to action. Finally, something that i consider very important towards marketing an mmo, is to have a game plan to share. Always having something to look forward to is the best way to hook mmo gamers. But, i know that is probably not in concordance with the company president's views, as much as we like him. ^^ Well, it's my opinion. I hope it's of use.