Honestly, how much more story do we need?

[LuckyThirteen.4576]

Thinking about this latest release, and the luke-warm response to it, the question that keeps coming back to me is: Why do we just keep coming back to story releases? Do we really need more and more and more story to the exclusion of (apparently) any other content? Can we have a major release where we just take a break from having more story, on another map, with another meta event and maybe just add new raids, strikes, fractals, pvp maps, "combat features," etc.? 

 

What I'm saying is, would the majority of the community be more upset with a release that contained only content, and no story chapters?

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

Well, if the update is a big PVP/WvW addition they'll be fine with no story.  

[Arnox.5128]

To be a little fair, I think at the moment they're focusing as much as possible on the DX11 switch and the WvW overhaul.

[Freya.9075]

I liked the story. I haven’t seen that much negative response to it in game other than it being too short. And the map feeling not rewarding enough. Which I agree to, but I accept it for what it is. If anet can keep up with their plans to release story more often but smaller bits of it, I’m fine with their new path. Time will tell how this will go. 

[Ruisenior.6342]

we need just more and i mean more story

[Ultramex.1506]

I prefer down-to-earth story like Charr civil war, not another Saving the Universe

[Elldar.1647]

I do find story, lore, environments, NPC interactions and all that "fluff" to be important to my enjoyment of the game. Combat and metas are fun, yes, but it's all those aforementioned things that are holding the experience together for me. New story chapters and further expansion of the setting are also the main reason I keep coming back to Guild Wars 2 after taking breaks from the game.

 

Generally speaking, I don't find MMOs to be mechanically fun enough to keep my interest based on that alone, so I need to also have an interesting world to immerse myself in, and Guild Wars 2 does that very well, imo. If all of that stuff took a backseat to mechanics, GW2 likely wouldn't be a game that's for me anymore.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

I would prefer an open-world map each release, with or without the accompanying story Episodes/Chapters. 

[Cyninja.2954]

I'm not sure story is what is keeping back other content development (unless the entire studio is focused on just this type of content, which would be an issue). It might be the reason certain features might get delayed, as we have seen in the past, but I don't see story content as the unique drain on resources development wise. Usually resources and departments have different personnel working on different things and you can't simply pull some specialists from one area and shove them into another. The voice actors, sound specialists, narrative team, etc. will hardly do a great job in other areas of the games development.

 

As far as story, I personally think the continuation of the story gives a nice framework for certain content development (strikes, fractals, new maps, metas, etc.) and will guide some players to this content. Which is a good thing.

 

As far as other content development, this should be done unrelated to story and even with some rework of adjustment of historic content in mind. Fractals need a revamp as do other areas of the game. It is not mandatory to link this to story content and once ready, these items should get delivered unrelated to story. Other games do this as well, sometimes linking these reworks to new story content, sometimes not.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Cyninja.2954

[Westenev.5289]

If the studio pushes out big pvp/wvw updates and proves competent, I think this should be up for debate. Not before.

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

You want no more story in an rpg?

[Reborn.1738]

Why not both?

I'd ask why do we need a new map with a new meta every patch?

What's stopping Anet from alternating? They could have a mixture:

• Have a new story in an existing map - LWS1 and parts of 2 did this 
• Focus on instanced content for a patch - add a couple of Fractals/Dungeons/5 player, or Strikes/Raids/10 player
• Have a new map, new meta, smaller story like we got with Gyala Delve
• Reuse old maps/instances to make new content
  • Take an old dungeon map and add a new dungeon/fractal based on it. 
  • Do a Dragon Response Mission style thing that's just a section of an open world map, but instanced

Looking at other MMOs, particularly FFXIV - they re-use old dungeons all the time with "hard modes" in order to increase content.

Anet would be able to tell new stories using existing assets and create new content. Seems like a win win win situation to me 

[Vayne.8563]

This is just a bad poll, because it's a coin toss.

I don't think every single patch needs story, but without a story, I would be less happy generally with the game. I also don't think the reaction to the story as particularly negative. It's not like a IBS Champions situation. Some people didn't like it, because it was too short or not challenging enough. Other people like it just fine.

DRMs were disliked almost universally, even if you didn't mind one or two of them, it was just too much repetition, for too long. If Anet had released a DRM once every six months it would have been different, but they replaced story which was bad.

This story wasn't inspired, but it wasn't bad. It was also only the first part and I never judge a series by the first episode, because it's there to introduce certain factors.

I feel there's a lot that could be better about this episode but the biggest problem is that after going so long without a new story (as opposed to season 1), some of the play base expected more. It's too long a wait to just come out with something fairly mediocre. But mediocre isn't the same thing as bad. It's just bad for the amount of time people feel they have been waiting. They expected more.

At the end of the day, I want to see where the story is going before I make any judgement at all. This poll is at the very least premature, but it's also badly worded with two choices. Far more choices would have been required to render this poll useful.

[Gehenna.3625]

5 hours ago, Ultramex.1506 said:

I prefer down-to-earth story like Charr civil war, not another Saving the Universe

Yeah speaking from the point of view of the vanilla story, you're a hero before you hit level 2. The problem with that is that you cannot go down from there without feeling disappointed. And so we got these massive fights with dragons and gods.

I mean how many dragons have we defeated by now? I lost count.

It would be a lot better for the new story line to start much lower and build up slower. Just my opinion. Anet seems to think that they need to go over the top all the time. And that's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy if you think about it.

----

As for the OP/poll. I don't want to sacrifice story for more other content. I just want story and more content. The new map is just the bare minimum to support the meta and that's it. There's very little else to do. I didn't mind the story having the length it does, but there should be a lot more to do on the new map and there just isn't.

[Chyro.1462]

Didn't we just have a very long break without any new story since the end of EoD? Do you already need another break from the 'excess' of story releases we've been getting?

[Fueki.4753]

If they don't deliver lore or a story, even if the writing is abysmal, what are they supposed to deliver?

A map with no point to it and no meaning for existing in the game? A map that just has a few vistas and PoIs and then you're done? I don't think there's any value in that.

[Einsof.1457]

Story is a waste of time of there's no meaty content with it. 

[Danikat.8537]

You do realise the main complaint about the new story is that there's not enough of it, right? I don't think any of the people disappointed that the story was so short and ended on a 'cliff hanger' without resolving anything would consider having no story at all a good fix.

For me the story and open-world maps are the main appeal of the game, and the thing I spend most of my time on. WvW is second and all the stuff you listed is things I do occasionally if I want something from them, but don't motivate me at all. I mean, I made Ad Infinitum and didn't hate the process, but once I was done I didn't go into Fractals again for months, and then only because I wanted relics for something. If a new Fractal or strike was added and there was nothing else I might play it once to see it, but then I'm finished with it and will move on to other things.

I'm not completely opposed to the idea, if Anet thought there was enough demand for it. Elder Scrolls Online has 3 DLCs a year and 2 of those are just dungeons and I play that game. I just don't buy those DLCs and if I run out of stuff I do want to play I take a break from the game.

[Astralporing.1957]

Why does it have to be completely exclusive, or there's no other option, especially seeing as there's a ton of middle groud between those two that got excluded?

My answer is "it depends. Both on story and on the content".

In general, i am not opposed to having only content patches with no story (although not to the point where i'd say that i'd prefer it). Just as i have no problem in general with pure story patches with no map or new content elements either (in fact, i think that tying map releases to story releases was a really bad idea). In specifics however it heavily depends on the quality of both. A good story chapter is vastly preferable to poor quality of content - and vice versa. Of course, it also means that content i'm not interested in is not going to be valued highly either, even if its quality would be good for those it would be addressed at.

That last part btw is the key one - i'm quite sure that it's a view that is being shared by pretty much everyone. A raider with no interest in the story will likely care only about hoigh end content, and consider everything else a waste of effort. An OW casual however will probably care primarily about new maps and story packs.

And yes, that likely means that most players would be disappointed with patches that contain only niche content like Raids/strikes. Remember, that the 9 months after HoT launch - a time that saw 3 raid wings being released - is still considered by most to be a time of "content drought". And for a good reason.

[DexterousGecko.6328]

Well, you've poisoned the well with the "Honestly, how much more story do we need?", and the poll seems to imply that story isn't content, so I don't see how valid something like this can be.

That said, I like story. That's the only reason I play story-based mmos. Pure gameplay-wise, mmorpgs are almost always subpar to other genres.

[garpu.6210]

If I don't want story and just grinding mechanics, I'd go back to WoW. If I want story, I play GW2.

[lezbefriends.7516]

22 hours ago, Ultramex.1506 said:

I prefer down-to-earth story like Charr civil war, not another Saving the Universe

I hate when people say this. If you want day-to-day politics, play IRL instead.

[Batel.9206]

2 hours ago, lezbefriends.7516 said:

I hate when people say this. If you want day-to-day politics, play IRL instead.

I heartily agree, but "down to earth" doesn't mean "one-to-one direct comparison to modern-day, real-world politics." It just means something less epic than "oh noes, another Elder Dragon is about to annihilate the continent/world/universe/multiverse!" Which would be nice, honestly - it's difficult to care about the stakes when every single time it's the same lofty thing. A more grounded story would cement why we fight to save the world (beyond, obviously, that it's simply the right thing to do).

To OP: story is one of this game's mainstays. Now, if ArenaNet regularly put out one BIG story update, then one BIG PvP update, then one BIG WvW update, then one BIG PvE [raids, fractals, etc.] update, repeat on a cycle or schedule - then we could argue for more or less story in the grand scheme of things. But as it is now, story seems like basically the only guaranteed thing we've got going forward.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Batel.9206

[Ultramex.1506]

4 hours ago, lezbefriends.7516 said:

I hate when people say this. If you want day-to-day politics, play IRL instead.

I hate when people say this as if it's always "politic iz baddd", as if fantasy game world building and story doesn't have them, Charr vs Human in gw1 where the Charr is trying to retake Ascalon, the White Mantle, in gw2 we have the separatist and the renegade from Human and Charr respectively due to Ebonhawke treaty, then there the World Summit of leader of all 5 races together.

You can hardly go to any fantasy mmo without a interest/racial conflict

[Jokubas.4265]

I consider myself a story player, but you know what?

I wouldn't mind some updates without story, at least story in the sense of a new story chapter. In some ways it almost feels like we've lost the idea that the game has things like events and a dynamic world instead of quests since every update comes with a new questline.

I wouldn't mind getting some new areas added to the game because they're "part of the world", and not because "that's where the story is currently taking place". For instance, I originally expected this release to be "now that the story is over for now, go explore more of Cantha" and I would have been fine with that.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Jokubas.4265