About Steam

[Aodlop.1907]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:08 PM, DexterousGecko.6328 said:

Why?

It looks outdated. The integration of friends and how to invite them/play with them is extremely lame, clunky and poorly implemented.

I just hate having to use this thing. I'd much rather we stay out of it.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Aodlop.1907

[Labjax.2465]

9 minutes ago, Yellow Rainbow.6142 said:

I play on steam. I have over 200 games in my library. And, I also play gw2 couple of times a week. I find it weird that people think steam players are from different planet.

Might have to do with what gets through... steam players could be a more accurate (seemingly different) representation of the overall gaming sphere because they are able to post reviews/feedback on a place that is not dictated by the game publisher or a fan-run 3rd party (unless it's a game put out by valve I guess). Making them look less tolerant of screwups (one way I've seen it described, more or less) when it may just be that the platform allows a more realistic representation of how overall tolerant video game enthusiasts are of screwups.

[SlayerXX.7138]

1 hour ago, Knighthonor.4061 said:

why would steam change their mind

Steam doesn't happen in a vacuum. I'm pretty sure they gonna go with an ad campaign or whatever. Steam release is not just the release. Its gonna be the last push to reach people. Its just the point in time where Anet blow their loadout trying to reach as much people as possible one last time. If you are annoyed by word steam release just think "last big new player acquisition".

Lets be honest: who the kitten knows what guild wars 2 is.

Think off steam like a supermarket. And Guild Wars  2 as a piece of fruit. Sure you may walk to the farmers market for the slightly better fruit. But many people just grab a couple of Apples while their are already in the supermarket and don't bother.

You can accept this explanations or not. You probably heard it before. You probably will hear it again, when your are angry next week at another steam related threat. I don't want to argue. You asked, that's the rational behind it.

[notebene.3190]

I was more excited about it when it was first announced (more than a year ago?). Now, with recent job postings and speculation, I'm concerned it's a place to go just as it was a place to go for GW1 (which I never really played). I've been noticeably having troubles recently trying/starting new games, and with inevitable changes in aesthetics and a clear recently leaning to core over casual a entry would surely bring, I'll most likely be left in the dust.

Yeah, I don't get it either ⬇

Edited August 14, 2022 by notebene.3190

[Sunchaser.9854]

While most people tend to stick to most games, advertising or just public awareness a game exists is a big part. Most people know of gw2 at launch where it's launch trailer had like 1000k Views. Eod's trailer got 100k views. Asmongold (a considerably toxic wow streamer who went ff14), gets like 400k, (4x the VIEWS of EoD's release trailer), looking at gw2 beetles races in wow or lamenting them nerfing the copied features from 2x speed to half speed as they went one step further and also gave the Dracthyr evokers (dragon people), the dive ability like griffon,

Then took it away. (The default wow mount was pretty much a 200% speed skyscale without physics or endurance bars or rolls. ), so the speed was probably just mostly the fun of swooping. 

You can't really buy a product you've never heard of before and there are some speculations Gw2 might be estimated to have like a third or a tenth of the playerbase of games like ff14 though it's really honestly anyone's guess.

I remember at the time, happening in real week to week moments there were just some posts on "Tired of wow, what are some other good mmorpgs to try?" The mmorpgs that appeared were Eso, Archeage, New World, Black Desert online, Tera, FF14, "skyrim", "Dark souls", etc. And within a week the next headline was. "FF14 gets so many new players, they're forced to throttle sales of their games to keep the servers stable." -> "FF14 surges and quadtruples playerbase" -> "FF14 completely takes over mmorpg market and competes with wow", with comments like. "Honestly i don't know why i'm paying a 15$ month a sub for this, but it's not wow and i can rp in a house i guess but i kinda miss the raiding and fluid combat of wow over the 2.5 sec gcds between abilities." 

Steam could be very well a pretty big influx just from free advertising like Lotro and DND online are the competitors for a free no sub mmorpg or lvl 1-20 in wow. which is pretty much doing the starter dungeons and being unable to chat. And lotro has like 20 years of age on it and had pretty bad in your face monetization. But i mean i wouldn't be surprised if it could lead to a modest +20-50% higher playerbase from the free advertising being listed.

Even osrs Runescape, a game who almost everyone focusing on it uses runelite's addon for xp/hr trackers, hitboxes, better ui and qol features, still got like a 50k active player to like 70-80k player actively playing spike after the steam launch. Even though the osrs endgame for 90% of players has been like "Kill vorkath for 3m a hr for 7 years in a row" now. 

[lezbefriends.7516]

Rather have release on consoles than a new launcher.

[Freya.9075]

i think it’s good they add the game to steam. But since you won’t be able to link your account to steam, most players will just use what we have now anyways. Steam players are not different from other players. I bet most of the gw2 community also have steam. We are not dumb as it seems some ppl think.

my theory is though that the negative topics will start to come and ppl will use steam statistics to “prove” the game is dead when minority will use steam. We should prepare our troll spray for this release. 

[Skorpis.4372]

I like that gw2 going to be on steam.  I am curious how many players are online. Steam will let us see these stats.

But as far as I understand you can log in with anet account or steam account.  And steam will only count steam players?

[GrizzlyTank.3145]

17 hours ago, sylmatyr.1485 said:

Personally, I think the changes they are making have been long overdue and are good for the new player experience regardless of Steam.  The world boss change has nothing to do with steam.  It was needed because of power creep over time.  These bosses are now back to feeling like world bosses instead of being nuked in less than a minute.

However some of those updated worldbosses have now a bit too much HP making them boring to do.

Edited August 14, 2022 by GrizzlyTank.3145

[Danikat.8537]

18 hours ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

ANet is preparing and modifying the game for steam, because they expect a huge influx of new players.

It seems rather, they are thinking of the new steam players, and pushing aside existing ones?

 

Whatever we say at this point won't matter much, because... steam. 

 

The thing is, that steam players are not Guild Wars... what's the world I'm looking for? 

"Loyal" for lack of a better word.

They have a huge library of games, and what we'll get is a handful of casuals at best.

 

We might get a few curious players; but as soon as the hype is over, steam players will go back to their routine of playing 5 games simultaniously at any given time, and 10 more lined up; and us, the "Loyal" players will be left with the unwanted leftovers from steam players... including the overpowered 4 world bosses, and whatever else ANet thought was a good idea to change, in order to accommodate and welcome Steam players.

 

I understand this is business, and the more the better, from a financial point of view.

So this was probably a necessary move.

Maybe not the most desirable, but necessary nevertheless. 

However, even though I too use steam myself. 

I don't really know the steam community, other than being extremely diverse.

The few steam games that I played, taught me a few things:

 

First of all, and probably the most important. 

A load of steam players use cheats in a load of multi player games.

This has been known as a fact.

Examples are: GTA, Yugioh Duel Links, FF Dissidia; just to name a few.

That does not mean that they will in GW, but that is something that should have been taken into account.

 

Second, is that steam players have a more abrasive attitude towards eachother.

You can see that when they livestream. 

 

But what do you think?

What are your oppinions about this.

There's no turning back now.

The date is set to launch.

 

What do you expect in your own personal oppinion? 

I have bad news for you: the kind of players you're worried about are already playing GW2 and have been since it came out. It was originally advertised as an MMO for people who don't like MMOs, especially casual players who don't want to deal with gear grinds and vertical progression. 

 

In the past week I've played several different games, ranging from a free-to-play mobile game to a slow, methodical strategy game, as well as GW2, and another MMO. 

 

Whatever harm you think is going to come from attracting players who do not commit soley and indefinitely to one game has been happening since day 1 and has been actively encouraged by Anet making a game intended to appeal to casual players.

 

On a related note "Steam players" are not some unique group that exist in isolation and never play games outside of Steam or have any contact with other gamers. This has been a weird trend on this forum recently, not just in this topic and (as someone who rarely uses Steam) I find it very weird. People who use Steam are gamers, the same as anyone else who plays games in any format, and the games on Steam are the same or similar as games available elsewhere, GW2 won't even be the first MMO on there. 

[lezbefriends.7516]

I WANT the Steam release to be a huge success for ANet, but let’s face it: game is ancient. They will have many new players, and I hope those players stay, because at its heart it is a lovingly made, good game. If they don’t stay, well… better to keep away from the masses.

Edited August 14, 2022 by lezbefriends.7516

[SoulGuardian.6203]

1 hour ago, lezbefriends.7516 said:

I WANT the Steam release to be a huge success for ANet, but let’s face it: game is ancient. They will have many new players, and I hope those players stay, because at its heart it is a lovingly made, good game. If they don’t stay, well… better to keep away from the masses.

 

Exactly my point.

We all want ANet to succeed, offcourse. 

Well, I'd say most of us do. I certainly do.

 

I want to see more population.

Most of the maps are empty.

 

But as you and other people mentioned before: 

The game will then be able to be reviewed by players. 

This might do more harm than good.

 

The game is 10 years old.

Not sure as to how many players the game will actually appeal to.

 

I want the best for ANet, I really do.

I hope Steam does do Guild Wars a lot of good... but only time will tell.

 

 

[SentriX.3209]

Gw2 is a casual MMO in the first place. I quit for nearly 8 years and when I came back my gear was still the best you could get. So it's perfect for a "casual" steam audience.

[Rize.3064]

OP, do you think people who play via the official launcher only play gw2 all day and nothing else? Majority of the people playing rn most definitely play other games and I'm sure there's many who take a break for a while and play other stuff.. Just like steam players will.

[Lottie.5370]

14 hours ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

It looks outdated. The integration if friends and how to invite them/play with them is extremely lame, clunky and poorly implemented.

I just hate having to use this thing. I'd much rather we stay out of it.

 

You are aware that you are not forced to use Steam for it right?

 

Nothing changes for you.

[SoulGuardian.6203]

39 minutes ago, Rize.3064 said:

OP, do you think people who play via the official launcher only play gw2 all day and nothing else? Majority of the people playing rn most definitely play other games and I'm sure there's many who take a break for a while and play other stuff.. Just like steam players will.

Fair point.

I play a load of other games too.

It's funny though, that this has been the focus of most people since the beggining of the thread, when I raised two more important concerns,  which I even sort of bullet pointed them out.

 

In all the things that I wrote,  I particularly highlighted Cheats, and the community attitude towards one another; yet, somehow, how much, or how many hours steam players will play the game became the main focus of the topic.

I am truly still amazed, how this works; even after using forums since 2005.

Edited August 14, 2022 by SoulGuardian.6203

[Nogothanc.5014]

I dont like the separation that the OP did in "Us" the "loyal" GW gamers and "Them" the Steam community.

We are all gamers. I think we should welcome the steam community as such and help as best we can as alot in this game always do.

Oh and I hope for some awesome welcome parties on "release" day.

 

[Ajji.6031]

1 hour ago, Liisjak.4509 said:

Gw2 is a casual MMO in the first place. I quit for nearly 8 years and when I came back my gear was still the best you could get. So it's perfect for a "casual" steam audience.

IMO, it's not perfect for a casual steam audience.  I think I'm one of those "casual" steam players.  I played on and off since GW2 first came out, almost exclusively open world since I'm a filthy casual.  The only dungeons, WvW, PvP I ever did was to craft a legendary weapon.

While I do like that here's no vertical progression, I think getting the best gear is a massive grind with no real shorter-term goals.  Usually this is where veterans chime in and tell me it only takes a day to gather materials for Ascended gear...but that's because they have good builds, are good at their class, and know where to farm.  Plus, half the time I come back I find out the build I liked was nerfed...so I feel like I have to switch classes/builds which means I need new gear anyway.

The learning curve for some of the classes is steep.  I remember looking up some builds for the Elementalist and it had like a 130 step rotation, which is freaking ridiculous.  But it seems like that's what the GW2 players love to do.

Even if you pick a class that does not have a massive rotation, most of the skills are situational and you have to keep track of a bunch of boons and debuffs and quickly react with the appropriate skill.  Sometimes it's a chore surviving in maps like HoT..and I won't even bother taking my Mesmer or Elementalist through that.

I was actually about to buy EoD Ultimate because I saw the Mechanist and the simple playstyle really appealed to me.  I probably won't because it seems like everyone and their mother is offended by the Mechanist and Anet would probably nerf it to oblivion soon.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Ajji.6031

[SoulGuardian.6203]

2 minutes ago, Nogothanc.5014 said:

I dont like the separation that the OP did in "Us" the "loyal" GW gamers and "Them" the Steam community.

We are all gamers. I think we should welcome the steam community as such and help as best we can as alot in this game always do.

Oh and I hope for some awesome welcome parties on "release" day.

 

 

That isn't the intention at all... you misunderstood. 

My main concern, as someone else mentioned, is; what effects will that have in GW2 on the long run?

You seem to be confused and think that I am refering to Steam players as a race.

Think clearly.

We're talking about a gamers community... which, in fact, I am also a part of, and it seems like you're missing that bit too.

 

I too use steam, not a lot, but I do.

I only have a few games installed through steam.

People that use steam, are usually demanding because of the broad choice of games there are available. 

If the majority of players don't find GW2 up to par, which is always a possibility; then the negative reviews will start pilling in.

This could do ANet more harm than good.

 

This is an honest concern from a huge GW2 fan.

It is not an attack on Steam, in any way, shape, or form.

Being a Steam user myself, of course, it would be nice if both worked in harmony.

I'm just not sure if you can just show up at the doorstep of such demanding community and say: "Here's a 10 year old game. You're going to love it." 

Then everything is peachy.

 

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

23 hours ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

What do you expect in your own personal oppinion? 

The usual launch-day troubles:
- server-crashes
- complaints of people unable to play
- refund requests
... etc.

Massive population increase in Queensdale, Metrica Province and Wayfarer Foothills as well as Lion's Arch, the convenience hubs and Heart of the Mists. Full WvW queues for a few days. The raid/fractal/strike LFGs will be flooded by players who absolutely do not care about KP and other requirements.

TP will go crazy. Meta gear may double in price or increase even further.

The overall DPS will decrease on average. Same goes for capability of handling breakbars, walking out of AoE circles and reviving downed allies - the usual expansion phenomenon. Same solution as always: Be calm, explain mechanics and do not be rude. 

Dungeons get re-populated, once they realize that berserker's gear and runes come from dungeons as well. I really hope for the streamers/content creators to help us advertising this alternative again. 

An increased demand of HP runs. Note: Making the Skyscale a minimum requirement will not work with these players. 😉

[Nogothanc.5014]

  

2 hours ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

 

That isn't the intention at all... you misunderstood. 

My main concern, as someone else mentioned, is; what effects will that have in GW2 on the long run?

You seem to be confused and think that I am refering to Steam players as a race.

Think clearly.

We're talking about a gamers community... which, in fact, I am also a part of, and it seems like you're missing that bit too.

Well I think with a harmless "I dont like what you said" I stepped heavily on your toes.

I am sorry and I am sorry its a little bit funny to me that you tell me to think clearly while you pulling out the race card. Wherever that comes from. I dont hold that against you. Just to make it clear not you as a person is funny to me. Your statements (think clearly and the race thingy) are. There is a big and important difference. Thats a separation that is very very important at least for me.

I lost my train of thought. Oh yeah separation. In my eyes you draw a clear separation between "loyal" GW players and the steam community. You have concerns and fears of what will happen when the floodgates are opened. 

And that is totally fine. You can see "the world" from this angle. I, a total unknown unimportant little lifeform, just disagree with your statement.

Thats it. That doesnt mean that I dont like you as a person. I dont know you. All it means that I just dont like your statements. And if you read your first post you maybe see what I see, even if you dont mean it that way.

Anyway, what will happen. Well there will some bad stuff happen. There, will be peoples that will vote the game down. There will be toxic players. But these are things you and I can hardly influence. But! And now comes the cool stuff. Things you and I can influence. And that is to give those new gamers a heck of a welcome and offer the help that this community is generally known for and maybe... just maybe thats enough positivity to outshine the negativity.

So dont take my disagreement to seriously. Have a smile about my hopefully positive stupidity but most impotant of all have good loot. 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Nogothanc.5014

[SinisterSlay.6973]

1 hour ago, HnRkLnXqZ.1870 said:

The usual launch-day troubles:
- server-crashes
- complaints of people unable to play
- refund requests
... etc.

Massive population increase in Queensdale, Metrica Province and Wayfarer Foothills as well as Lion's Arch, the convenience hubs and Heart of the Mists. Full WvW queues for a few days. The raid/fractal/strike LFGs will be flooded by players who absolutely do not care about KP and other requirements.

TP will go crazy. Meta gear may double in price or increase even further.

The overall DPS will decrease on average. Same goes for capability of handling breakbars, walking out of AoE circles and reviving downed allies - the usual expansion phenomenon. Same solution as always: Be calm, explain mechanics and do not be rude. 

Dungeons get re-populated, once they realize that berserker's gear and runes come from dungeons as well. I really hope for the streamers/content creators to help us advertising this alternative again. 

An increased demand of HP runs. Note: Making the Skyscale a minimum requirement will not work with these players. 😉

This sounds accurate.

There will also be a lot of guild recruiting.

Also a lot of complaining about f2p restrictions on steam forums.

[Voyant.1327]

I see two possible steam futures.

Good Version - They fix enough QoL issues, fix the UI/LFG, actually balance the game classes, and announce something very different in setting to Cantha as a starter area. Living World Season 5 ideally (a prequel would be the smartest option for this method) As I expect the new Steam players to bash Cantha's aesthetics and NPC dialogue regardless. Gain 10-25k steady players & the community benefits from new minds/new ideas/etc. 

Bad Version: They launch as is. Steam focuses on unfixed areas above with a fiery passion to the point its review bombed and it causes a Swtor like effect in which within 2 years all of those gained players have gone & the grief that follows actually chips away at the pre-steam base.

Only other thing I can think of that'll burn em before even getting a chance on Steam:

- Story Missions, Story, & Their Boss Fights. While they do good with open world and other instanced content. A lot of players start with story and its gonna hurt a lot of initial impressions. I hear this often and it just gets progressively worse when they reach Living World Season 1 and then jump to LWS2 and have no idea why these things are occurring. The story is broken and not very engaging. Such a massive issue though hard to say its fixable even if LWS1 is completed before steam launch. 

[SoulGuardian.6203]

55 minutes ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

This sounds accurate.

There will also be a lot of guild recruiting.

Also a lot of complaining about f2p restrictions on steam forums.

Thank you.

A very good valid point.

[Bakeneko.5826]

Steam is bad software with tons of bloat.