[GW2 is not Ready for Steam]

1 hour ago, Kichwas.7152 said:

Both launched on Steam with massive numbers and were immediately declared 'the best MMO ever' - setting too high of expectations. And when the numbers started to fall, the obsessive watching of the fall only accelerates it and people try not to be the last rat off the ship.

New World launched in an incomplete buggy and completely exploitable state.
Are "expectations" to blame for it's speedy fall from grace?
Or can we lay blame on developers who released game where I could render myself invulnerable by running in windowed and giving the window's top bar focus? or where I could obscure another players UI by sending them common HTML code?

Lost Art released with a character progression path that didn't include the necessary ingame drops to push forward without whaling to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Are expectations to blame for it's speedy decline?
Or can we blame AGS for unabashedly milking players, cutting off people who didn't swipe from content, and putting BDO to shame for P2W?

At what point do the developers become accountable for their product?

The fall from grace of both titles you mentioned have very little to do with rats abandoning ship, and more to do with a single company releasing substandard and exploitative games and laughing all the way to the bank as they did it.

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

10 minutes ago, TimeArc.1309 said:

and not in one training is that ever checked. People are trusted to follow, because only then they can also expect help and answer to question. Joining a Training on a Shortbow only Soulbeast is possible, just don't expect any help

This is not what the Welcome document says. The document is pretty clear.
Anyone who takes the rules at face value and chooses to abide by them or form impressions based on them is not wrong.

If indeed it is not the case, then the document is incorrect not the player,
 

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

3 minutes ago, TimeArc.1309 said:

Not even that. The Tier System is used to ensure a smooth progression and goals to work to. ~90 % the encounters are trainable without ever doing time on the golem or producint logs for that matter.

To even be T1 in this community you need to run a Snowcrows build.
This is the second bullet point of the Welcome Document.

1. Be on EU
2. Run a Snowcrows build.

I don't want to take anything away from TCI or what they are doing I have a ton of respect for anyone who takes of their time to organize and co-ordinate for other people.
But the requirement to run a Snowcrows build is very clearly defined on the Welcome Document. Not running a Meta build does indeed prohibit participation in TCI activities. The document is very clear.
There is no "if, then, else".

This is not a criticism. It's their house, their rules. I get the function of it.
To say "not even that" is false. The official document makes it clear.

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

1 minute ago, Erise.5614 said:

They said if they modify the build to a playstyle they enjoy they are exempt from the content. Because it doesn't perform as well and the game punishes non ideal builds by a huge degree.

Let's be clear that this does NOT bar him from the content. Only for training with TCI.

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

5 minutes ago, jcH.7109 said:

What is your current build? What role is it that you would want to fulfill? Can you post an arcdps log to show me what you’re talking about?

Why would they need to post their build and logs? It's the second bullet point on their welcome document.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SLvufFxt8oWovBdDKTdqoy9zSZSsqw7HYlAPV2CwP7s/edit

Please bring a character with a meta gear and build.
Check https://snowcrows.com for builds
 

 

 

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

5 minutes ago, Sindust.7059 said:

I joined this server after I saw this thread yesterday and took a look around. They have a tier system for sorting players according to their skill and experience (t0-t3) which gives them access to increasingly advanced runs. And what I found most jarring is that despite the requirements for t2 and t3 (among other things) being 80% and 90% of the snowcrows benchmark respectively, they do not allow builds that would hit those numbers that deviate from the ones listed on snowcrows. For example the shortbow soulbeast build is explicitly prohibited even though it hits the required numbers.

 

Basically, if you want to advance there, you need to be a meta slave. And if you don't like the playstyle of the meta build for your spec and decide to make adjustments to make it work for you, you're punished for that by blocking your progress beyond t1.

Actually I just checked their discord to fact check and it's worse than that.
They are saying Snowcrows builds just to join training.
Ugh.

[GW2 is not Ready for Steam]

22 hours ago, Nazferatwo.1764 said:

I just created a new character in my veteran account to unlock those Tutorial Achievements.
I noticed that is very hard for a new player to get up to speed with features like mounts and fishing.... most of my guildies ask about this Daily, how do I unlock this and this and that.
And i have to tell them the sad truth. if you don't care about story, go ahead and unlock fishing by starting the EoD campaign to unlock fishing... which totally sucks for a new player.
Same thing with mounts... at least the raptor.

I have a concern, will Anet ever add such features to be expansions locked but not campaign locked like it is today ?
- This will be a big let down when steam players join and realize they cant get this at level two.
- Also the Trial account needs to be reworked, in my opinion its too limited. this will also be a let down for steam players.
+ The addition to Season 1 for free for everyone is a big plus.
- The steam community is very competitive, WvW and Spvp need to be looked at.

These "GAME WILL FAIL ON STEAM BECAUSE MY PERSONAL PET PEEVE IS NOT ADDRESSED" threads are never going to get old.

[EoD a flop?]

19 hours ago, Bast.7253 said:

Realistically as far as map design goes, these maps aren't too different from Path of Fire as far as being... relatively empty and hard to find fun events.  

Do you really think it's harder to find new events in New Keining than it is in Doman of Vabbi?

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

3 hours ago, Sarius.9285 said:

lol what? Guess what there is at least 10% toxic players in pvp, wvw and open world as well...how is that exclusive to raids?

People who float that kind of rhetoric usually gloss over the fact that if you want to see REAL toxicity in GW2:
-Cap Amber before Red
-Open doors "out of order" in the Mad King's Labyrinth
-One Burn south at Octovine

I've seen sweaty tryingharding elitism in every part of this game but every time I have seen someone truly losing their minds with racist epithets, screaming and toxic babyrage it's been in open world when some troglodyte faced the prospect of two less green unidentified gear bags an hour.

[Guys, don't be afraid to try Raids]

Interesting how many people on both sides of this issue feel the need to present their personal feelings/reasons as everyone's feelings/reasons.

[EoD a flop?]

1 hour ago, Serephen.3420 said:

Most likely because they are rebranding it and not calling it LW or seasons which is a wise decision imo. At least for being able to get new blood in.

You're right. They should call something new.

Like ummmm.... how about a "Saga"

[EoD a flop?]

3 hours ago, Maikimaik.1974 said:

Maybe they're going for smaller, map specific stories. Maybe they're just renaming the entire concept. But a map with story in it is exactly what LW episodes are, what else could it possibly be?

Again I will ask....

Why didn't they just say "We are currently working on the next season of Living World"?
If indeed that is what they are doing.

What else could it "possibly be?"
Anything. It could be a low quality release like Grothmar. It could be little more than a festival style map with a story instance it could be a lot of things. It could indeed be a continuation of Living World. They have not said.

Here is why you need to put a critical eye to what Anet is saying and not make assumptions:
Prior to the expac the company told us that 2 new stat combinations were coming to the game.
In the patch notes they said:
"This attribute combination is now available on all Legendary Items and select sources in End Of Dragons content"
What is missing there?
On May 25th 2019, the company said that available stat combinations were dependant on owned expansions. However this changed with End of Dragons. You cannot choose Ritualist or Dragon's stats from existing stat selectable offerings earned previously in PvE.
In short, they changed the rules.
And rather than say "we changed the rules" and explain why, and apologize to those of us who spent large amounts of time farming up spare trinkets they left it purposefully vague wondering it was a bug....
Until you go back and read those patch notes again and realize this is EXACTLY what they were doing.

There are a few examples just like the above.
I am excited about the prospect of content. I would absolutely LOVE them to say "we are currently working on the next season of Living World."
I don't just like Living World and the format and formula, it was a big part of what kept me hooked on this game for several years. I think it was the best kitten update model in any MMO I have ever played. It kept me meaningfully engaged for months after every release completing the maps doing collections, running the story on alts with friends....
If they had gone onto their blog post and said "We are abandoning this content delivery model" there would have been a pretty big outcry and I would have been one of those people crying out.
So they left it vague.... knowing full well how negative the reaction would be.
ESPECIALLY considering the fact that a significant portion of the Living World fans also feel burned by content gating in EoD.

Unfortunately, you need to read between the lines with Anet these days. If they are "Hinting" at something by not using their usual labels it means something has changed.
Unfortunately they have not been forthright with us on these kinds of changes recently.

If they didn't say "New Living World Content", then it's safe to assume you are not getting it and the replacement will fit the vague promise of the blog post but not live up to expectations previously set.

[EoD a flop?]

1 minute ago, Maikimaik.1974 said:

They absolutely did announce that there will be a new Living World season though? Sure they didn't specifically mention Living World, but new maps and story is exactly what Living World is...

They gave a vague promise of a new map and new story.  This is not an announcement of Living World at all. It sure isn't, as the OP I was responding to a "season".
If it were indeed LW, they would have said LW.
But they didn't.
So if indeed it is, as you claim, the same thing, then why didn't they just say that?

[EoD a flop?]

55 minutes ago, Crono.4197 said:

Oh brother, the doomers will never shut up no matter what ArenaNet say, will they? Why do you people even play this game if you dislike it so much and always complain? Or you don't play it and you just hang out on forums because you have nothing better to do? Or it's the old "I want this game to be like WoW/FF XIV/*insert my favorite biased MMO* ? I don't know...why be a hater and complain? Just move on if you don't like it, simple.

There is nothing "doomer" or untrue in the post you are telling me to quit the game over.
1.EoD broke no records.
2.There has been no announcement of any new Living World.
3. We have indeed been promised(and therefore we expected) more frequent Balance. This did not happen.

If you think it's a good idea to let untrue statements about the health and future of this game go without a single voice  reminding people about reality, data, and Arenanet's track record, then you have no idea what happens around here when hype bubbles burst.
Because the absolute first thing that happens is all those people who get excited over fanfic misinterpretations of reality are the absolute first people on these forums to scream bloody murder when their unsubstantiated dreams are not made reality.

Think of the player who reads a post, and without looking at it carefully expects a new season of Living World.
Picture their reaction when it does not happen.

[EoD a flop?]

15 minutes ago, GalenWolffit.3842 said:

A year ago we weren't getting 2 expansions on top of HOT and POF, we were getting 1 (EOD). They delivered EOD, and it brought in record sales. 

What record did it break? All that was said is it outsold PoF. PoF didnt exactly light the gaming world on fire or set any records. It sold less copies than Heart of Thorns.

15 minutes ago, GalenWolffit.3842 said:

A year ago we weren't expecting another new living world season, now we are.

The developers said nothing about a new season of LW. Only a vague promise of a new map at some point in the future.

15 minutes ago, GalenWolffit.3842 said:

A year ago we weren't expecting regular balance patches, now we are.

We most certainly were expecting them.
We were promised them and never got them.

[Feedback about ascended gear]

2 minutes ago, angrax.1372 said:

I am having trouble finding the recipes. Or is it expansive to obtain? I remember I crafted Wupwup celestial mace, but I think I had to spend a lot of gold and it is cheaper doing the collections? I am always bankrupt so crafting, sometimes, gets difficult.

Crafting armor and weapons is easier than "most" collections.

A notable exception here would be the Desert Elite Spec Weapon collections and the aforementioned Caladbolg. Both of which can pretty much be earned in an afternoon (provided you have, in the case of the Caladbolg ,already finished the HoT story). The specialization collections for HoT and EoD elite spec weapons are more involved and generally leave you better off crafting in terms of time spent.
If you are finding yourself broke, take a look at doing some more high value activities or fill your downtime with mindless gathering of useful mats such as Iron, Platinum,Hard/soft/seasoned/elder wood ect..

[Guild Wars 2 (4rth Expansion) - Clash of Gods]

4 hours ago, sammokdadd.3602 said:

I come from the future to inform you that guild wars 2 will take place in Utopia which is set to be in Xotecha realm which was created by old gods.  The story in EoD will slowly start driving towards gods of tyria set till we reach the expansion. 

 

https://gyazo.com/d343789a833d7823ba9bd28f4cf031d4

 

 

I also come from the future:
People are saying

-That there needs to be an option for Legendary Armour that is earnable by means other than raiding
-That they should not be forced to WvW in order to get a Gift of Battle
-That Elementalist is awful and dies constantly
-The new xpac is too hardcote and they are leaving the game along with all their friends, guildmates, casual aquaintences, investment counsellors and pet chinchillas
-That all the problems with WvW will be fixed as soon as Alliances Launch.

[EoD a flop?]

17 hours ago, Mortime.1359 said:

Yeah, I think city of heroes was also doing well. At least well enough that the developers were right in the middle of making a new update when ncsoft pulled the carpet out from under their feet and shut the studio and the game down.

City of Heroes was not "doing well".... not by a long shot.
City of Heroes was gradually dying. It's revenue was dropping every quarter. While it was still earning a profit, the game was gradually heading to a place where it would not. 
Nothing stopped the slow decline in revenue, not the Going Rogue expac, not the Free 2 play conversion, not predatory lootboxes, not selling BiS enhancements on the cash shop.
The game was not growing despite many attempts to inject life into it. It was milking it's loyal customers with more and more cash shop items, and eventually even the most ardent fans (myself included) were reaching a tipping point. Without attracting new players and having exhausted the monetization of their existing fan base things were looking very bad.

At which point parent company NCSoft seeded Paragon studios with a bunch of cash and ordered the studio to begin work on a City of Heroes 2.

In a podcast several years after the shutdown, one of the developers admitted, that while the studio did indeed receive the cash, they did not use it to start developing a sequel and instead were working, in secret on a completely different game.
It didn't take long before NCSoft found out and canned the game and studio.

Casting NCSoft as a corproate bully that shut down a beloved game doesn't address Paragon Studio's fraud.
This is a studio that after the news of the shutdown became clear, knowingly transferred it's server code and it's client database (including payment info, CC Numbers, home addresses) to a well known community member in order to facilitate establishing a private server.

It's a fun narrative to paint NCSoft as some kind of evil company that shut down a beloved game despite it still being popular. It's a narrative I have myself been guilty of signal boosting in the past.
It is however not nearly that simple. A little digging shows a much more complicated story that is not a good look for the former developers.

[Meta + Strike Missions = Turtle. No thank you.]

2 minutes ago, Tatwi.3562 said:

Gee, what else happened at exactly that time in 2020?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic

 

There was a direct correlation between an unprecedented amount of people world wide being stuck in at home in lock downs, many with government subsidies that provided extra income, and an uptick in time and spending on video games. Here's another source from 2020.

 

Wanting your opinions to be true does not make them so.

Covid 19 is why revenue decreased in q4 2019?

Is Covid 19 the reason Mike Z was sent packing after leading the company down this road too?

Despite this being months before the first recorded case outside China?

[Meta + Strike Missions = Turtle. No thank you.]

10 minutes ago, Tatwi.3562 said:

Show us the data. Oh that's right, you can't.

 

Thank you, fellow Armchair General. Good night! 😅

https://massivelyop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/screenshot_002490.jpg

The graph showing GW2's worst quarter in the history of the game, following the end of LWs4 to the beginning of Icebrood Saga.
A period in which the studio released only easy OW content such as festivals, community events like Boss Rush/Fractal Rush and Grothmar Valley (A map with less threatening ambient combat than Queensdale). This is the period that shows revenue for the game all the way up to and including the Prologue of Icebrood.
The graph is derived from data from NCSoft's public financial reports.
The players doubling is from the blog post today.

It's simple cause and effect.
While a certain portion of the playerbase was happily being catered to, they were unable (due to size) or unwilling (due to perceived value) to actively support the product.

The data is there. You just need to be able to accept reality.

[Meta + Strike Missions = Turtle. No thank you.]

51 minutes ago, Tatwi.3562 said:

A conclusion on it can't be made either way, because we're not privy to the data involved.

 

For my own part, I have definitely played more in the last 3 years than I did in the first 6 years. I've only ever run a single dungeon and a single strike and I only poke around in pvp/wvw very rarely and randomly, most times for a quick spvp daily before reset. So a good 99% of my time in the game is spent in open world / LW maps and the story instances. Perhaps there are plenty of others out there who are enjoying the game in a similar manner. We can't tell, because all we have as the basis of our arguments are our own experiences and biases.

 

In short, we're all wrong.

The game focuses solely on chill open world content for 8 months and has it's worst quarter ever in terms of revenue.
The game shifts course and double's it's player count and revenue goes up.

The only people saying "confirmation bias" at that point are the people who are too high on copium to admit that their attempt to wag the dog has already proven to lead to the death of the game.

[ArenaNet Studio Update: The future of Guild Wars 2]

5 minutes ago, Ashen.2907 said:

I detested LW1. Stopped playing part way through, took a break from the game, as a result. Some of the worst gaming experiences Ive ever participated in. Hopefully some of the worst aspects will see revision before returning. 

The addition of the LW1 content in "Visions of the Past" should signal to you that there will be no polish on this stuff and that they are unafraid to restore substandard content wholesale without any meaningful iteration.
...and a certain subsection of this community will respond with "please. Sir, may I have another?"

[Acquiring Gift of Battle Is Hell]

2 minutes ago, Caliboom.3218 said:

I really doubt it would be worth that much. It would probably be 20 gold more or less.

And the babyrage would still be there.

[Acquiring Gift of Battle Is Hell]

14 minutes ago, Caliboom.3218 said:

Honestly, wouldn't it be a good thing if it was tradable? WvW players could make gold selling it that way.

Do you think for a moment this would stop the complaint threads?

Because I guarantee the posts would just become:

GIFT OF BATTLE TOO EXPENSVIVE!!
Why does Anet hate it's players who are all paying customers and ALL casuals????? 500 Gold on the TP for a Gift of Battle?? Are you KIDDING ME ARENANET??? I have a familay and a job and now I am FORCED to grind gold just so I can get a legendary because I hate any form of PVP and the people who play it????
WHAT HAPPENED TO "PLAY HOW YOU WANT"???

[Acquiring Gift of Battle Is Hell]

1 minute ago, Hitlit.7630 said:

 

Seriously though. I swear I've been seeing tons of threads about this exact topic lately. What's driving everyone to complain about Gifts of Battle all the sudden? They literally only take 4 to 6 hours of brain dead running around with boosters if you really want to farm it fast.

If you look at the post count by the people starting the threads you will see the answer.
Most of these are newer/returning players who don't understand just how often this topic has been discussed over the years and are perfectly happy as presenting opinions that state "What I don't like=Bad design".
The moment you see a post talk about a QoL/Cosmetic reward and how players are "forced" to do something that offers zero statistical advantage, you know it's just the same tired false rhetoric.