SAB 2023 coming soon

[Ashantara.8731]

1 hour ago, Ubi.4136 said:

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath.

I just wanted to correct your false claim that there definitely won't be any new SAB world due to the original creator of SAB having left several years ago.

[Ray Koopa.2354]

4 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

I just wanted to correct your false claim that there definitely won't be any new SAB world due to the original creator of SAB having left several years ago.

I dug out the quote of hope here

Quote

However, we haven't given up on a larger addition to the Super Adventure Box, and even if it isn't this year or the next, we'll be chipping away at it behind the scenes.

Then again also no clue if the person writing that is still part of the staff with the constant fire and fire going on at Anets.

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Ray Koopa.2354

[MedievalThings.5417]

6 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

I just wanted to correct your false claim that there definitely won't be any new SAB world due to the original creator of SAB having left several years ago.

I didn't say there would never be a world 3 or 4.  I said there is no reason to hope for a world 3 or 4 since the employee that created SAB no longer works at the company.  Even more so since it was created completely for free on an ex-employees personal time.  Would it be nice, sure.  But, I'm not holding my breath.

[Gibson.4036]

17 hours ago, Ray Koopa.2354 said:

I dug out the quote of hope here

Then again also no clue if the person writing that is still part of the staff with the constant fire and fire going on at Anets.

 

2020 quote that says “maybe not this year or the next”…

2023 World 3 confirmed!!!!

😄

[HotDelirium.7984]

I'm like many other people who don't want to play the SAB festival because so far it's a dead festival with no new worlds. The second they release world 3 that be more than enough evidence to change MANY minds to participate in it. 

If they build it, we will come. 😛 

Edited March 22, 2023 by HotDelirium.7984

[HotDelirium.7984]

On 3/21/2023 at 7:31 AM, Ashantara.8731 said:

I just wanted to correct your false claim that there definitely won't be any new SAB world due to the original creator of SAB having left several years ago.

There will not be any new SAB worlds because the company has chosen not to, for whatever reason. They have the personnel and resources to complete it. They could even hire Josh back on a contract to finish it but they seem more than content to let it languish and sell us skins based on the lore. It's disrespectful to me.

[Randulf.7614]

On 3/21/2023 at 7:17 PM, Ray Koopa.2354 said:

I dug out the quote of hope here

Then again also no clue if the person writing that is still part of the staff with the constant fire and fire going on at Anets.

 

The dev who created the thread posted once and hasn’t visited the forum since 2021 (at least under that name).

I think it’s time to stop hoping for additional worlds. Given the demand for it, it would be foolish for them not to hype it. They know full well the value of hype when they have something concrete to present. 
 

I just wish they’d say it’s game over. Communication should not be this hard

Edited March 22, 2023 by Randulf.7614

[HotDelirium.7984]

7 hours ago, Randulf.7614 said:

The dev who created the thread posted once and hasn’t visited the forum since 2021 (at least under that name).

I think it’s time to stop hoping for additional worlds. Given the demand for it, it would be foolish for them not to hype it. They know full well the value of hype when they have something concrete to present. 
 

I just wish they’d say it’s game over. Communication should not be this hard

Maybe with the new expansion pipeline they'll make space to finish; they did say in the roadmap update that because they had to do living world then expansions they didn't have much time for anything else so IF world 3 and 4 are going to be made it actually would be in the pipeline now which might mean it's a few years away. If they do release them that would be awesome and I'll be happy to play them but until then I can only lament at what could have been 😕. 

[Shuzuru.3651]

On 3/21/2023 at 10:17 PM, Ubi.4136 said:

I didn't say there would never be a world 3 or 4.  I said there is no reason to hope for a world 3 or 4 since the employee that created SAB no longer works at the company.  Even more so since it was created completely for free on an ex-employees personal time.  Would it be nice, sure.  But, I'm not holding my breath.

First, it wasn't an employee, it was a team, a small team, but a team. 

Second, Josh himself said a few years ago that members of that team were still on the studio and got all the keys to be able to finish it. 

But Third, he wasn't sure this would happen because SAB is not a popular festival and so Anet probably won't have ressources to spend on something not popular

[Solvar.7953]

I'd add that it is probably a tough sell to spend a lot of time on content that will only be active 3 weeks/year, compared to spending those resources on content that is available year round (or I'd vote that the effort gets spent on fixing bugs and other problems with various maps).

But then I'm not really a SAB fan.  The first world is OK (though if I want to play a platformer, I'll play a platformer).  The second world seems to have been 'if W1 takes X minutes, then W2 will be 3 times better if the worlds take 3 times as long to play'.  So it moved from being a cute and quick diversion to being a pretty long and tiring thing to play.

Perhaps if W2 has been shorter and more to the point like W1, there would be more enthusiasm for it, and thus making a W3.  If W3 continued in the direction of W2 (long and repetitive levels), then I would expect those interested in it would continue to drop.

 

[Ray Koopa.2354]

On 3/23/2023 at 12:51 AM, Randulf.7614 said:

The dev who created the thread posted once and hasn’t visited the forum since 2021 (at least under that name).

I think it’s time to stop hoping for additional worlds. Given the demand for it, it would be foolish for them not to hype it. They know full well the value of hype when they have something concrete to present. 
 

I just wish they’d say it’s game over. Communication should not be this hard

Maybe they mistook W3 for Half Life 3.

Well, rated by the gameplay, SAB isn't anything special and actually kinda buggy. You'd easily create your completely own W3 and W4 and W5 or whatever with the abundance of current game creation tools. Or just dork around with GH decoration and create underwater SAB as your Sparkling Pools.

But of course the pure mechanics or superficial looks aren't what make SAB so special. It's so special because it's integrated into an MMORPG and full of clever tropes and video game references, mainly thanks to Josh Foreman pouring his full creativity into all this. Nobody else at Anet would work 35+ hours straight without sleep on one map, which may be legal health-wise, but clearly showing how unmatched the dedication is he put into it (even if such levels turned out too long, something I started to enjoy and see the value in more and more retrospectively).

And since Josh is gone, I don't think I really care anymore. I will probably just be annoyed by so many tiny details in any new stuff that doesn't fully impress me. I would constantly think "Josh wouldn't have done this" or "this doesn't match the previous style". I would clearly be super critical of anything new in it, given how much I got to love it - the whole remainder of GW2 could've gone sh*t, yet I always came back for SAB. And maybe Anet knows this, how critical the fanbase of SAB would be, and simply out of not wanting to risk ruining it for anyone, they stopped touching it aswell (besides scheduling, priorities, $$$$$, and all the other more obvious in-house problems). Honestly, by now I actually fear that "New Anet" may even push through with their many silly hidden agendas and ruin the fun of SAB more or less on purpose in the progress.

If it doesn't come out this year, I accept it with a smile as some things are better left as they are / were, and leave the game with it.

[Randulf.7614]

6 hours ago, Ray Koopa.2354 said:

Maybe they mistook W3 for Half Life 3.

Well, rated by the gameplay, SAB isn't anything special and actually kinda buggy. You'd easily create your completely own W3 and W4 and W5 or whatever with the abundance of current game creation tools. Or just dork around with GH decoration and create underwater SAB as your Sparkling Pools.

But of course the pure mechanics or superficial looks aren't what make SAB so special. It's so special because it's integrated into an MMORPG and full of clever tropes and video game references, mainly thanks to Josh Foreman pouring his full creativity into all this. Nobody else at Anet would work 35+ hours straight without sleep on one map, which may be legal health-wise, but clearly showing how unmatched the dedication is he put into it (even if such levels turned out too long, something I started to enjoy and see the value in more and more retrospectively).

And since Josh is gone, I don't think I really care anymore. I will probably just be annoyed by so many tiny details in any new stuff that doesn't fully impress me. I would constantly think "Josh wouldn't have done this" or "this doesn't match the previous style". I would clearly be super critical of anything new in it, given how much I got to love it - the whole remainder of GW2 could've gone sh*t, yet I always came back for SAB. And maybe Anet knows this, how critical the fanbase of SAB would be, and simply out of not wanting to risk ruining it for anyone, they stopped touching it aswell (besides scheduling, priorities, $$$$$, and all the other more obvious in-house problems). Honestly, by now I actually fear that "New Anet" may even push through with their many silly hidden agendas and ruin the fun of SAB more or less on purpose in the progress.

If it doesn't come out this year, I accept it with a smile as some things are better left as they are / were, and leave the game with it.

Possibly yes. World 2 was infamously badly received at the time (and caused the shift in communication policy), so they may decide it’s not worth the effort Vs the backlash. I still think they are quite capable of delivering something just as good or better than the rest of sab though, so long as it’s not overthought

[Shadowmoon.7986]

Honestly we are talking about Anet, the kings of abandoning systems. Guild missions, dungeons, drms, raids, fractals, pvp, integrity, and wvw are all example of abandoned systems and you expect festivals to get any updates except for black lion reject skins and repackaging assets for another abandoned system, guild halls.

[Ashantara.8731]

On 3/21/2023 at 10:17 PM, Ubi.4136 said:

I didn't say there would never be a world 3 or 4.  I said there is no reason to hope for a world 3 or 4 since the employee that created SAB no longer works at the company.

I got that the first time, and that is why I posted a screenshot of new dialogue that was introduced with SAB a year or two after Josh Foreman had left.

[HotDelirium.7984]

On 3/23/2023 at 2:55 AM, Shuzuru.3651 said:

First, it wasn't an employee, it was a team, a small team, but a team. 

Second, Josh himself said a few years ago that members of that team were still on the studio and got all the keys to be able to finish it. 

But Third, he wasn't sure this would happen because SAB is not a popular festival and so Anet probably won't have ressources to spend on something not popular

It's not popular because the content isn't compelling and/or the perception is this is just some side project turned into a placeholder festival so why bother playing it? Both of those can be changed- like the old saying goes If you build it, they will come. The studio has the vision and competence to make it good and rewarding but....

[Shuzuru.3651]

13 hours ago, HotDelirium.7984 said:

It's not popular because the content isn't compelling and/or the perception is this is just some side project turned into a placeholder festival so why bother playing it? Both of those can be changed- like the old saying goes If you build it, they will come. The studio has the vision and competence to make it good and rewarding but....

I don't think most of the people know it's started as a small team initiative, and I don't think anyone cares, actually. 

The problem why it isn't popular is probably 2 factor that can't be changed :

1 it's an April Fools joke about classic video game, so it kinda break with the art style of the game, which I know turn off a lot of people. 

2 it's all jumping puzzle. Simple, make anything regarding jumping puzzle a bit relevant in this game, and you will have hordes complaining about it saying it's a scandal there is something locked/advantaged by jumping puzzle. Jumping puzzle are less popular than "classic gameplay"

 

Those are structural problem, you can't change without altering the essence of the festival, so no matters the effort put, SAB will always be less popular than other festival, I guess. 

[mythical.6315]

On 3/21/2023 at 2:17 PM, Ubi.4136 said:

I didn't say there would never be a world 3 or 4.  I said there is no reason to hope for a world 3 or 4 since the employee that created SAB no longer works at the company.  Even more so since it was created completely for free on an ex-employees personal time.  Would it be nice, sure.  But, I'm not holding my breath.

That's not a really strong basis to be using. 

[MedievalThings.5417]

1 hour ago, mythical.6315 said:

That's not a really strong basis to be using. 

No company time/money has ever been used to create what SAB we have.  Why would we assume they would spend time/money NOW making more SAB?

[Ashantara.8731]

13 minutes ago, Ubi.4136 said:

No company time/money has ever been used to create what SAB we have.  Why would we assume they would spend time/money NOW making more SAB?

Because it's the best (i.e. most unique, most fun) festival this game has.

18 hours ago, HotDelirium.7984 said:

Both of those can be changed- like the old saying goes If you build it, they will come. The studio has the vision and competence to make it good and rewarding but....

The NPC dialogue I referenced at least gives me hope. 😉

[mythical.6315]

29 minutes ago, Ubi.4136 said:

No company time/money has ever been used to create what SAB we have.  Why would we assume they would spend time/money NOW making more SAB?

Well that is completely false.  There's also that illogical argument that others cannot develop more SAB worlds as if it's somehow only possible for those original developers who created the first two. 

Edited March 26, 2023 by mythical.6315

[HotDelirium.7984]

11 hours ago, Shuzuru.3651 said:

I don't think most of the people know it's started as a small team initiative, and I don't think anyone cares, actually. 

The problem why it isn't popular is probably 2 factor that can't be changed :

1 it's an April Fools joke about classic video game, so it kinda break with the art style of the game, which I know turn off a lot of people. 

2 it's all jumping puzzle. Simple, make anything regarding jumping puzzle a bit relevant in this game, and you will have hordes complaining about it saying it's a scandal there is something locked/advantaged by jumping puzzle. Jumping puzzle are less popular than "classic gameplay"

 

Those are structural problem, you can't change without altering the essence of the festival, so no matters the effort put, SAB will always be less popular than other festival, I guess. 

To expand not to counter I'd say they take the critiques from your two points and optimize the next areas.

1-A company really does itself a service by finishing what it starts; call it professional integrity and pride. Josh no longer there so he can't finish it is an excuse at this point. You have the talent and they can figure it out. Maybe even add a bit more story, finish the worlds and that will flip losing hand with a joker to a winning hand.

2-Maybe a little less jumping puzzles and a variety of game play styles in the next worlds.

[Solvar.7953]

Given the number of unfinished things currently in the game, I'd put finishing SAB at the bottom of a pretty long list.  But the reason is that a lot of that stuff is unfinished/abandoned, I suspect, is that it did not quite work out as expected, player reception was not great, etc.

At a basic level, Anets goal is to make money.  I'm really not sure how adding W3 would make them much more money - I suppose there could be new skins to sell.  But I doubt anyone that currently does not play GW2 would start playing because W3 was released.

 

[Jukhy.2431]

The reason for renewed new level "hopium" is that last year out of the blue they added some dialogue for Moto (Ashantara's post with image). After asking "Has anything changed?" and Moto's answer you can then say:

Player: I'm really hoping for a new level one year.
Moto: I know that waiting can be hard, but I want you and other fans of the Box to know that I'm striving to meet those hopes!
Player: Thanks, Moto! I'll keep believing.

Now why would they add this with SAB 2022 if there's no plans for a new level? And I did check out this dialogue last year to confirm it myself.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Jukhy.2431

[vares.8457]

SAB is the only festival I ignore every year, it’s boring and terrible. I really hope they don’t waste resources for another world. There are more important things they should be working on. 

[Abies.8754]

4 hours ago, vares.8457 said:

SAB is the only festival I ignore every year, it’s boring and terrible. I really hope they don’t waste resources for another world. There are more important things they should be working on. 

your opinion. glad you are in the minority