Crash.4376

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. Just a few corrections since there's some confusion. (I feel like some people didn't read the entire post and got pissed off by a few key points I made and commented immediately after that) 1) The examples I illustrated earlier like build templates and material storage were just examples, nothing concrete. Also to be clear, the buy to play model would still exist. This option would not replace it. 2) The subscription model would not replace the buy to play model at all. It would be there to give the player the option of either subscribing for things like more build templates or buying it permanently. I figure having options would be good, right? No? maybe not. 3) I am not a new player. I've played since launch and love this game, but I can see how a new player would walk in and would like to play the story content locked off but wouldn't want to buy it all. The game I see this implemented well in is ESO with their ESO Plus membership. That's what inspired this post. I figure if they can do with a lot to offer in that subscription, why not? Also, it wouldn't be a permanent sub. You sub for 2-3 months to get through the content you want and you can be done. If there are some quality of life changes you get through the sub and want to keep it, then it becomes worth it (depending on the type of player you are) Ultimately, I see where you all are coming from. It all depends on the playerbase, from a cultural standpoint, and each game has their playerbase for a reason. The people of WoW/FFXIV are fine with that sub requirement, the people of ESO enjoy the option, and the Guild Wars 2 community like the way the gem store is.

Oh wow. I didn't expect this many responses. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Even though I'm not a new player of this game, my perspective was from someone who was when it came to the Living World. As for the other things like material storage and build templates, I was just throwing that out there not knowing if Anet would have the capacity to do that. I can understand as well the negative impact it can have. If their financials are great and in a healthy spot, then I do agree with the whole "If it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality. I hope that's true. It's tough to believe it being the case after the massive layoffs last year. Overall, as long as developers are being paid for their hard work, I'm good with whatever. If they're not, I feel like some sort of sub option (not a requirement) or even something like a season pass for the Living World / Icebrood Saga wouldn't be irrational to reward them for their hard work.

It doesn't have to be either/or...I first want to start off by expressing that I'm not debating whether or not this game should stay buy to play with no sub fees or have a subscription model. My argument is, why not both? I don't know how taboo it is to mention other games here, but there are others out there who implement both very well. If you simply want to buy the game and play without a sub fee, you certainly can. If you want to pay a subscription with added perks, you can do that as well. I'm not a business man by any means but the most common advice out there for people who want to be financially secure is to have multiple streams of income. And I think we can all agree that we want Arena Net to be here, not as long as they can be, but for as long as they choose to be, which is hopefully forever. How Guild Wars 2 Can Make It WorkAfter almost 8 years, Guild Wars 2 has developed systems that has made life a lot easier for us. One system that I have not seen not seen in other MMOs is the material storage. Being able to deposit all of your crafting materials, directly from the inventory, and in a separate storage system outside of your bank is a huge lifesaver! Not only that, but to be able to extract those materials while crafting makes it incredibly convenient, however, it sure does fill up fast. Imagine if that storage space was unlimited? A more recent feature introduced to us were Guild Templates. This is something that the playerbase has wanted since launch and we finally have it! Except, with only 2 template tabs per character and only 6 build storage tabs total for your account, having multiple builds for all of our characters is impossible. Now imagine if that was also unlimited? Then there's Living World. Imagine being a new player that would love to delve deep into all of that story content, only realize that all of the story chapters prior to each expansion is locked off. You can do the vanilla story for free, and the ones from Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire will be unlocked after purchasing them Personally, I would not have it in me to grind the gold or buy the gems just to do them. However, imagine if you could unlock them all and dive deep into it? ConclusionThe point I'm trying to make is that why not offer an optional subscription model that could, for example, give you unlimited material storage space, unlimited build templates, and all of the story content thus far? Along with that, give 200 gems per month. Maybe toss in an Black Lion Key with that. It would give the players a great way to support the game, all while, enjoying the conveniences it has to offer. Simply having items in the gem store isn't going to entice everyone. They're fine to have and some people enjoy them. However I do think only relying on the gem store alone is a gamble and having another stream of income would be healthy for a company. It could lead to more development in more development in areas like WvW and raids. Possibly more expansions in the future. Maybe even a new game introduced that's not part of the Guild Wars universe. What do you all think? Share your thoughts on this. If you like the idea, what else can Anet throw in the pot? If you hate the idea, please tell me why. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all in game!