Living World.....Gone?

[mythical.6315]

34 minutes ago, Ashford.8540 said:

I don't think it's biased to point out that it took ANet 5 years to release a new expansion and not only was it worst expansion behind HoT, it had less content than HoT, and less things to do to the point the maps are empty/abandoned.

It didn’t take five years.  You may want to check your facts. 

36 minutes ago, Ashford.8540 said:

The fact players haft to wait for peak hours to do a meta either for the story or to get a useless turtle (and that's if the meta doesn't fail) and that's if your lucky says alot on how much players trust ANet to release smaller expansion when EoD is one of the smallest and performance intensive expansion expansions to date.

You don’t have to wait for peak hours. If it’s useless then why do you care?

38 minutes ago, Ashford.8540 said:

If Anet can only produce something like EoD in a 5 year span what makes you think these "mini expansion" aren't just going to be  a years worth of LW seasons repackaged into an expansion to try to FOMO players into paying up for lower quality content? After all, this is coincidentally happening as the NCSoft CEO is being booted and under new management so not entirely surprising for a new CEO to be looking at their studios on how to increase monetization(nickle and dime) to keep investors happy. Just saying.

We’re getting less LW content overall in exchange for them actually working on other areas of the game at the same time. It’s a fair exchange imo. Perhaps wait and see instead of crying out that the sky is falling. 

[Sugar Min.5834]

TBH, I don't mind paying more for smaller expansions BUT please give us what we want and not forced it to us what you want. Definitely not going to continue to pay for more nerfs and bad quality or never asked for QoLs 😑

Edited February 14, 2023 by Min Min.9368

[Ashantara.8731]

After pondering this for a little while, I have come to the conclusion that mini-expansions, followed by additional content releases to add to them, aren't necessarily a bad thing after all.

We might finally get a broader variety of stories this way. Ten years of the same boring Elder Dragons arc wasn't very entertaining -- that's why I always liked any diversion from it, like Palawa Joko, the Deldrimor Dwarven ruins, or megalomaniacal Caudecus, so much better.

So perhaps now we can look forward to great new stories from all corners of life in Tyria, filled with myth and wonder, instead of just slaying the next big super bad.
 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Ashantara.8731

[Lord of the Fire.6870]

20 hours ago, Jirian.7512 said:

why "no living world"? sounds more like "now your living world will be called expansions and will cost moneyz" to me

More like fused together and kicked out the ones which they don't need anymore.

 

On its height Arena.NET had 4 teams working parallel and others working on PvP/WvW and bugfixes. With this they have only 1 team and maybe a temporary team for fractals + some service management in the background.

 

This was foreseeable they done scraping cost on all ends since 2020 either they don't have the money or wants more gains for the mother company.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Lord of the Fire.6870

[Eekasqueak.7850]

I'm cautiously optimistic about this, I liked EoD's story but felt like it could have had more to do in the maps, if they can focus on expanding and adding to that and keep from falling into late IBS quality I think it's a net good. 

[Ashford.8540]

9 hours ago, Linken.6345 said:

Where do you get 5 years of EoD development from?

When we got the icebrood saga annuncement (August 30, 2019)they said no expansion was planned we got that instead.

So yea your 5 year development span is off, its more like abit over 2 years.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_2:_End_of_Dragons

 

Never said 5 years of development I said 5 years to release an expansion.

[Linken.6345]

16 minutes ago, Ashford.8540 said:

 

Never said 5 years of development I said 5 years to release an expansion.

Well still only took them half that time max to release the expansion since we knew they were not working on one before that.

Kinda odd that you complain it take long to release and expansion when the company have said hey guys wer not working on any expansions.

 

But then on the other had they said they were working on the fourth expansion after EoD release and it would take some years since they told us so early.

And now we get mini expansions instead so probabely just releasing what  they have been doing instead of season 6 so far sometime soon.

[ugrakarma.9416]

a paid maintenace mode.

[mythical.6315]

21 minutes ago, ugrakarma.9416 said:

a paid maintenace mode.

Versus dumping practically all their resources into the LS leaving the rest of the game in “maintenance mode”?

[KawsMeCal.5923]

"I'm mad that I got a lot of content for free on a game I never have to pay a subscription fee for and will now get ideally better content more rapidly and be able to cover a lot of balancing issues easier with cheap yearly fee for cheaper than before expansion costs."

What?

[Linken.6345]

40 minutes ago, KawsMeCal.5923 said:

"I'm mad that I got a lot of content for free on a game I never have to pay a subscription fee for and will now get ideally better content more rapidly and be able to cover a lot of balancing issues easier with cheap yearly fee for cheaper than before expansion costs."

What?

If you think the mini expansions every year will be cheaper then 1 big one each 2-4 years I got a bridge to sell you mate.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

I think an important point that is often missed is how expensive the game has become for new players.

 

Veteran players have mostly played the game for free while only buying expansions once every few years, and in the case they missed logging in to get a Living World episode they could just buy it with gold to gems. Newer players don't have those luxeries, and end up having to pay a significant up-front price for everything.

 

Given that the game has a policy of always selling at a single price point (usually $50-60, or $100 for the complete edition), going forward newer players will get more and more content for the price point, and like it or not that is the market that ArenaNet has to target since its what will keep the game alive for years to come. Its easy to become frustrated as a veteran player, but we don't keep the game alive. The vast majority of veteran players have bought pretty much all we're going to buy from the game with real money and farm our gems, Black Lion Keys and Transmutation Charges by playing the game itself.

Edited February 15, 2023 by SoftFootpaws.9134

[GroteDwerg.4752]

Living World mechanic was the reason I dropped the game 8 years ago.

 

Player is not able to play new Living World because responsibilities in real life? Too bad. Player gets locked out of the content, story, lore, ... if they want to get back into it after a year or two. Too bad for you. You should have never left and play this game every day forever!

 

Then they realized this has a major design flaws (way to late in my opinion) and they made it so we can buy stories we missed. This really left a bad taste in my mouth since I paid for the base game and all expansions and now I have to pay for living world stories too?

And if I don't I am confused during the story because I keep meeting characters that I should know ... but I don't know (since they are introduced in LWS).

 

Over the years  they implemented more stuff in the game they could cash on. Now that the cash flow is secured, they can finally get rid of Living World mechanic (pay to get access). 9 years too late, but good riddance. Living story should have been available for anyone who owned the base game or related expansions.

Edited February 15, 2023 by GroteDwerg.4752

[voltaicbore.8012]

On 2/13/2023 at 12:08 PM, Nomad.4301 said:

*Bear in mind that unless ArenaNet has been hiring like mad behind the scenes or has massively improved their workflow, this is still the same studio with the same amount of people and they are in all likelihood going to put out the same amount of content over the same period of time but now it is going to cost more and thus have higher expectations because it's no longer just a patch or an update but an expansion, not sure about others but this just gives me "Icebrood Saga" vibes all over again.*

This is essentially what I said in another thread on this topic. I'm not picking on Anet specifically, but I sincerely doubt almost every business when they say "hey we're going to truly do things differently now!" After just about every such claim, consumers at best get just the same old stuff at an increased price. More often, you get degraded quality, slower pace, and higher costs to boot. Again, this isn't a specific doomer take on Anet - this pessimism really applies to any business making such claims.

As I've said before, Anet could surprise us all. Maybe they really did fix workflow, priorities, etc behind the scenes and really can support their new plan. I'm just not holding my breath.

[stormemperor.3745]

TLDR: No more free content. Now you need to pay to do achievements.

[Sime.3681]

13 minutes ago, stormemperor.3745 said:

TLDR: No more free content. Now you need to pay to do achievements.

But you always had to pay for expansions to do that? Now the additional post-expansion content will be free forever, unlike Living World seasons.

[Doctor Hide.6345]

     I will just say after looking back at it. I am still not happy with this choice of direction. I feel like they are nickel and diming us now for basically LW content. Something that was once free is not now. I don't care about the new player experience here. I only care about people who have logged in on time and got it for free for years now have to pay for LW level of content. It doesn't matter how you spin it. And no, cost is not an issue here. It is the principle of why I am paying for it. 

     I will still buy it even though I shouldn't, but I am too far into the sunk cost fallacy of this game though. I will just become more bitter at the game is all because that is the feeling I feel when I will have to pay for something that is basically LW.

[Linken.6345]

2 hours ago, Doctor Hide.6345 said:

     I will just say after looking back at it. I am still not happy with this choice of direction. I feel like they are nickel and diming us now for basically LW content. Something that was once free is not now. I don't care about the new player experience here. I only care about people who have logged in on time and got it for free for years now have to pay for LW level of content. It doesn't matter how you spin it. And no, cost is not an issue here. It is the principle of why I am paying for it. 

     I will still buy it even though I shouldn't, but I am too far into the sunk cost fallacy of this game though. I will just become more bitter at the game is all because that is the feeling I feel when I will have to pay for something that is basically LW.

Then your kinda giving mixed signals to Anet.

Im unhappy but you will still get money from me.

Why would they change with that attitude?

[Doctor Hide.6345]

24 minutes ago, Linken.6345 said:

Then your kinda giving mixed signals to Anet.

Im unhappy but you will still get money from me.

Why would they change with that attitude?

 Yes, it is mixed, but I know at this point I am addicted to the game along with many others, so they are more or less extorting that connection now. So, it is may seem mixed, but they know what they are doing. They know people will pay even if they are not happy about it. I am at least honest about it saying how it really is unlike some who actually believe that this is a good thing and not an extortion. As the saying goes, a fool and his money are easily departed. I know I am a fool for paying it, but I at least am honest and know what I am.

[Ashantara.8731]

Why don't we all just wait and see how much it will actually cost before we climb the barricades? 😉

[Linken.6345]

13 minutes ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

Why don't we all just wait and see how much it will actually cost before we climb the barricades? 😉

No it is pitchforks and toches time mate 🤪

[Astralporing.1957]

2 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

Why don't we all just wait and see how much it will actually cost before we climb the barricades? 😉

Because a certain amount of loudly voiced scepticism may have a much greater impact on those prices than any amount of complains after it already has been introduced.

[voltaicbore.8012]

2 hours ago, Linken.6345 said:

No it is pitchforks and toches time mate 🤪

I've had my Peasant's Solution ready for years.... wait, is that why they haven't given us land spears for a decade?

[Tom.8029]

Okay.  Everyone keeps saying some version of, “Now we’re paying for living world.”  You’ve been paying for living world and its seasons this entire time.   You need Heart of Thorns to have access to season 3.  You need Path of Fire to have access to season 4 and Icebrood Saga. Sure, if you unlocked it for free when it was live, you don’t have to shell out for that individual episode and season, but they are still locked behind the expansion. 
 

It’s literally just a rebranding and the same thing. 

[Linken.6345]

7 minutes ago, Tom.8029 said:

Okay.  Everyone keeps saying some version of, “Now we’re paying for living world.”  You’ve been paying for living world and its seasons this entire time.   You need Heart of Thorns to have access to season 3.  You need Path of Fire to have access to season 4 and Icebrood Saga. Sure, if you unlocked it for free when it was live, you don’t have to shell out for that individual episode and season, but they are still locked behind the expansion. 
 

It’s literally just a rebranding and the same thing. 

And if they come at a price of 10 bucks a piece noone will complain even 15 bucks alot of people will take it, its 3 maps instead of 10 if you count pof and season 4.

But slightly reduced price sound more like 25 bucks for each mini expansion mate.