What's your opinion on Super Adventure Box availability?

[Lonami.2987]

There's been a few rumors since some time ago, about SAB 2018 maybe including World 3 with it. We haven't gotten any jumping puzzles since long ago, and the guys working on them have been missing for quite some time. It's very, very suspicious. What have they been working at during these past months?

Of course, this is just speculation, but if it proves to be true, we would be facing the eternal "temporary content" debate once again.

Super Adventure Box isn't a "real" festival. Its amount of content far outweighs that of all the other festivals combined. It's its own game inside the game, and could be a very good side-activity for players to chill and relax from the normal game now and then. And this game is really lacking regarding side-activities for that matter. There's monetization potential here, too. SAB could be free during the festival, but become permanently available only to players who purchase the Infinite Continue Coin or some other new gem store item. Kinda like the Living World seasons, it could become its own product to be sold in the gem store. Maybe it would be a mistake to make people pay for it, and should be permanently available for free, so that any new player can enjoy it easily as well.

So, what's your opinion? Do you think it's about time for SAB to become permanent? Are you willing to pay for it, turning it into a profitable decision for ArenaNet? Maybe you like its seasonal nature? Or you just don't care about SAB in any way whatsoever?

[TheOrlyFactor.8341]

I don't really care all that much about Super Adventure Box, to be honest. I'd still want it to be around though because I know other people like it.

[Danikat.8537]

I'm not sure if I want it to be permanent or not. I really enjoy SAB and when it's available I tend to do almost nothing else (to the point where the game actually looks weird to me when it ends because I get so used to SAB graphics). So in theory I'd love it if it was permanent.

But I also know from my experience with...almost everything else in the game that I have a bad habit of leaving things for later if I know they're permanent. My list of stuff I've started and I'm definitely going to finish at some point, when I get around to it, probably covers most of the game. I do finish things occasionally - for example I recently finished the Luminescent armour collection - but it can take years simply because other stuff distracts me. So if SAB was permanent I may actually end up playing it less, because I'll keep telling myself I'll do it later.

(On a related note is it really just one guy who does all the jumping puzzles? I know Josh Foreman does a lot of them, but I thought there were other people too.)

[maxwelgm.4315]

What makes SAB so memorable is precisely that it is (now it is of course) seasonal. I would advocate for it to lasting longer (it should be longer than other festivals for the reasons you mentioned), but definitely not permanent. Permanent content gets played to death and that's it. Imagine if the silly core mini games like the ones in LA were all packed inside a seasonal event which gave unique rewards? Then people would finally play those. The same goes with SAB.

I definitely want more SAB, I think it gets too little screen time, let alone during April which is far from anyone's (nearly no matter where you are in the world) vacation/free time. But making it permanent would take away its shine. Kinda like LS1 which was subpar compared to content being released nowadays but is so nostalgic because we can't really ever play it again.

[Wildon.7618]

Hmm, interesting question... Part of the great draw to SAB is the fact that it isn't there all the time. My vote would be, "I really LOVE SAB, but don't know if it would be better to stay seasonal or be available all year."

I feel that as much as I would love the option to jump in whenever I want, it would also remove some of the excitement that I get now when it comes around. Maybe a good compromise would be to have it available a few times a year instead of only once? Rather than a full month of it in April have it run for a week or 2 every 3 or 4 months instead?

If they added world 3 that would be great, I just hope that they keep it more in line with the original world 1 rather than world 2. World 1 was great for getting together with some friends for a good time, but world 2 was just a bit too hard/long at release and it drove people away out of frustration. The rework of it with an easy and a hard path fixed it up decently but I still remember that the original release caused a few of my friends to go from loving it to hating it. SAB is a great fun adventure, good for a relaxing day of goofing off. IMHO Keep that spirit and it can't help but be a success:) When you want a challenge there is always tribulation mode.

[VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig.]

I don't want SAB to return ever. Those gadgets playing that horrible music are bad enough, more SAB will just increase their density - and I can't stand them.

[Randulf.7614]

I was always for permanent up until last year when I realised actually I prob wouldn't play it all year round. I think it worked best as a twice yearly festival

[Cobrakon.3108]

I think it would be cool if they added a gemstore item that put SAB in your home instance. Just make it a crazy amount of Gems. Something Higher than 5000 that way everyone wouldn't have one, still making SAB season special.

[Bladestrom.6425]

I love a going to a cafe and getting a high quality coffee. I could buy a machine at home to give me the same thing, but then going out to get a coffee wouldnt be as fun anymore :)

[Rashagar.8349]

I definitely want more SAB time, but I think I'm still in favour of it being a seasonal thing. The problem for me is I've missed the last few festivals in game and while I definitely don't want to miss this next SAB, it's not something that's entirely inside my control.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Lonami.2987 said:And this game is really lacking regarding side-activities for that matter.

55 Non-seasonal Jumping Puzzles, 4 Activities, 15 HoT Adventures, 18 PoF Griffon Adventures, 7 Non-seasonal Mount RacesThis game may be lacking a few things. Side-activities is not one of them.

[Endless Soul.5178]

In my opinion, which reflects some of the above posters, Super Adventure Box should remain seasonal. If it was around all year, I don't think very many people would be playing it.

[Gesten Nyotas.2193]

Super Adventure Box has to stay, even if it is seasonal as some Guild Hall Upgrades requires items from the event.What I would like to see , is as someone else posted, a Gem Store 'Infinite Continue Coin' for those really interested in it all the time. For those who are somewhat interested, maybe have one use coins good for 48 hours and they could be the same price as Transmutation charges in the gem store OR, really rare drops, Not as rare as Black Chest Keys are, out in PvE, or a possibility from leveling bonus chests in WvW, or a bonus item from character leveling at certain point. I think I'd definitely have 1-2 in every achievement chest.

I'd also have them NOT Account Bound for those who find them but have no interest in SAB.

It would have to be treated as a separate mechanics system entirely and given a zone with many of the underlying map rules of Obsidian Sanctum. No Teleport To Friend into it and teleported out when your coin runs out or when you disconnect.

That's my ideas.

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

I started playing last year when it was up. Didn't understand it. Didn't know what to do with it. Now that I've been around for a while, I'm interested to see it and play, but think it will be more an interesting novelty than an amazing experience.

[Doctor Hide.6345]

I can't answer because I have not experienced SAB yet, so I don't know my feelings towards it.

[Ayakaru.6583]

Its my strong opinion that SAB has been a waste of resources, and continuing to put in more resources is only more wasteful.They completely ruined gliders, and I have a strong fear this april we’ll get SAB mounts which will be the end of my patience with that farce

[Doctor Hide.6345]

@Ayakaru.6583 said:Its my strong opinion that SAB has been a waste of resources, and continuing to put in more resources is only more wasteful.They completely ruined gliders, and I have a strong fear this april we’ll get SAB mounts which will be the end of my patience with that farce

May I ask why you don't like it so much? I know it's 8bit platforming with the guns and boombox, but that is all I know of it.

[Hyper Cutter.9376]

It really doesn't have enough content to it to be available year-round.

[Sylvari.2953]

I don't care because I don't enjoy it and I think it's overrated, sorry.

[Vayne.8563]

@Doctor Hide.6345 said:

@Ayakaru.6583 said:Its my strong opinion that SAB has been a waste of resources, and continuing to put in more resources is only more wasteful.They completely ruined gliders, and I have a strong fear this april we’ll get SAB mounts which will be the end of my patience with that farce

May I ask why you don't like it so much? I know it's 8bit platforming with the guns and boombox, but that is all I know of it.

I can't answer for the poster, but a lot of people play MMOs for immersion and the less immersive the items are that are introduced into the game the more their game suffers. Seeing the SAB 8 bit graphics really offends some people's sensibilities.

That said, the game itself is self-contained and doesn't affect anyone else's gameplay at all. You enter it, you play in there, you interact with no one else, except maybe people you go in with, if you're not soloing.

One of my guildies hates it because for 3 weeks all the people in the guild who like it are removed from availability to do fractals or whatever else we might do, because so many of us like it.

[Rauderi.8706]

I can only tolerate it once or twice per year. It was a cute idea, and I'm glad people like it, but it also hasn't really advanced at all since World 2.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

We already have a good proxy for measuring the popularity of SAB from GW2 Efficiency Stats. Roughly speaking, it's niche content — barely 23% have completed World 2. It's entertainaing for lots of people for a short while and is very entertaining for a fraction of the community. But it's not something everyone likes.

That makes polling a poor tool for convincing ANet it's worth investing in World 3: it's never going to show that much support for SAB.

---

A better strategy would be to emphasize the fanaticism of SAB's, erm, fans. Raids, sPvP, & adventures are all niche-oriented content that ANet also includes in GW2. Raids are (arguably) good for the game because they attract people to Tyria (newcomers & returning vets) who might otherwise have stayed away. So the OP should check in with people who left GW2 or who play other games, whether a full-time SAB would bring them in/back.

Another interesting group to query are those people who only saw SAB for the first time last year (or this year). They never saw SAB as an April Fool's, only as a full-fledged festival. Are they as into SAB as veterans from 2013 are?

I strongly suspect the answer is "no:" the reason that SAB is so popular among its fans for 11 months is that it doesn't exist then. If it were available year round, people would take it for granted.

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World 1

• 47% of 141k site users have a "Minor in Immortality," which means they completed 15 of the achievements for World 1.
• 20.5% have "Bachelor of Secrets", which is finding W1's secret rooms.
• 9% have "Master of Decor", for finding all of W1's furniture shops; it's an unlock for a vendor tab for Moto.

For World 2,

• 23% have "Academic", completing Z1, Z2, and Z3 in W2
• ~10% of "Bachelor of Secrets."
• ~8% have "Master of Decor"
• ~9% have "Major in Achievement" for completing 13 W2 achievements.

For Tribulation mode... the completion rate runs from 4% (finding the shops) to 13% (completing Z1, Z2, Z3).

[Abelisk.4527]

SAB has a charm has fades way after a few weeks of grinding baubles. When it goes away and stays a seasonal thing, people become nostalgic when playing "normal" GW2 and want that yummy fluffy 8-bitness back.

So, if it stays seasonal players that like SAB will build hype until it re-releases the next year.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

A small nit: the OP declares that

Super Adventure Box isn't a "real" festival. Its amount of content far outweighs that of all the other festivals combined

I beg to differ. It's the festival with the least amount of content: it consists entirely of one Jumping Puzzle. It's by far the most interesting and feature-rich JP in this game (and perhaps any game in the genre), but it's still consists entirely of just one thing: a JP. There's not a single achievement, goal, or activity to do other than inside the JP.

In contrast, the other festivals all involve multiple activities. Now, the OP might not enjoy any of those things half as much, which makes SAB the most entertaining festival for them. That doesn't mean that others feel the same. Particularly not those who can't stand JPs in any form.

[Blude.6812]

Waste of time Nintendo gameboy stuff that has no place in an MMO