[Suggestion] Brainstorming a new Extended Experience mobile app

[Trise.2865]

Many of us know about the usefulness of GW2's APIs and appreciate tracking sites like GW2 Efficiency and GW2 TP. But what if ANet was able to develop their own mobile "Extended Experience App" (remember that?) in-house, able to access information and/or features not shared via "public" API? Here's a few ideas and suggested features:

• Chat: Sometimes people want to chat with their friends or Guildies without having to log in to the full game. While Map or Local chat would make no sense (since they're dependent on a character's location and via an app, that would be "nowhere"), I see no reason to restrict access to Guild or Private Message channels. For those who prefer to talk with strangers, I also suggest adding a special version of "Local" chat, exclusive to all Mobile users.
• Mailbox: Similarly, this could include access to the Mailbox features as well, to message friends who aren't logged in at the time, or to collect automated mailings, such as Brew of the Month Club, or Black Lion Hunters/Expedition packs. Bonus points if it also alerts you to a character's Birthday. (For the sake of security, I will concede a "receive-only" limitation on Mailing items).
• Crafting: This is a big one for many people (not including myself, but I can appreciate where they're coming from). The ability to Craft while doing other things can be extremely helpful to players looking to make large quantities of things, or who wish to make progress toward their Legendaries or whatever without loading up the full game... or when they're stuck doing other things and would rather be playing. Obviously this requires choosing a specific character per account, so I'll award bonus points if there is a way to play one character while another crafts via the app. Think of it as a way to have all those alts living lives instead of ceasing to exist whenever we log out.
• Inventory Management: Naturally, the inclusion of Crafting would require some form of access to the Inventory and Bank systems. This is already possible, and more or less the primary function of GW2 Efficiency, but ANet could take it a step further: adding abilities to dynamically locate, rearrange, and redistribute said items between inactive characters and the Bank.
• Trading Post: Now here's where things get sticky. We all know that TP tracking and pricing is more or less harmless. I'm sure plenty of players would love an official way to initiate or complete orders and trades at the "right time", outside of the game. As a security measure, let's say only materials or items in the Bank can be put up for sale (it's not much, but better than nothing).
• Gem Store: Though I'd personally be against it, I see no reason not to include access to the Gem Store and Gem Exchange outside of the game. Sometimes people don't have time to browse the Store, and can often miss special sales and offers, etc.. I could understand restricting the purchase of Gems via real money, though perhaps it could include the redemption of codes. Besides, they'd have to fully log in to claim the items anyway, right?
• (Limited) Home Instance Access: I know some players would like to semi-automate gathering materials, and restricting that to only nodes unlocked in the Home Instance seems like a fair compromise. This could also include tracking (and vaguely "interacting" with) the various Cats for that collection, collecting and managing the Gardens, Energizing some Quartz at the Krait Shard, and any future features they choose to add later (such as the oft-requested Personal Library).
• Other Basic Features: This covers some of the auto-include features already available in places like GW2 Efficiency, such as tracking Achievements, Mastery, and Legendary readiness, Boss Timers, currently-active Events, Pet collections, etc., etc....

So what do you think? Does this sound like a good idea? questions? comments? additional suggestions or ideas? petty dismissiveness? pithy "GW2 is Dying " non-sequiturs? poorly-worded rebuttals? Let's get a discussion going!

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

All of the ideas, except the trading post, seem as if they'd be universally popular. (And the TP is only problematic because those that know the markets will make more, while those that don't play the economy will feel like they fall farther behind.) Some of the ideas (such as crafting) have other economic implications that would cause ANet to avoid them (notably: crafting -- they want us in the game when "earning" for a variety of reasons).

And many of the features are already available from 3rd party sources: active events, collections, achievements, boss timers, etc. I'm sure, though, folks would love to see them in an official app.

The main issue overall is: what else might ANet be doing with those resources besides producing a companion app? I'd rather see more robust in-game chat than offline chat, a faster TP rather than be able to use the mobile. And since 3rd party apps already provide many of the other services, I'd rather ANet work on an API for new features, allowing 3rd party devs to do more interesting things.

The one thing that I think ANet really should do, with an app or just a website, it to access the gem shop from outside the game. They should really do a better job of even just showing off what's new|updated|discounted, instead of relying on a player willing to logon daily and spend 10+ minutes to replicate what the gem shop folks already know.

[Sockski.4297]

I know this isn't realistic and I haven't thought about it enough for there to be much nuance to this statement, but I've always liked the idea of like, maybe a fitness app approach or something. I love gw2 and I play it a ton, and sometimes it's hard to get my butt up to go workout when I'd rather be playing, and it's crossed my mind more than once where I thought, "I wish I could go workout, and have it do something for me in game. Come on ANet, support my physical health." Lol. Maybe it would be like, as you run or something, you get some benefit built up in game. Or maybe you build up energy or something in game, and it can be used to craft something or be converted into karma.

So, I know it's totally out there, but I just want to be able to play guild wars even when I'm trying to be good and not play guild wars! :sweat_smile:

[Trise.2865]

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:The main issue overall is: what else might ANet be doing with those resources besides producing a companion app? I'd rather see more robust in-game chat than offline chat, a faster TP rather than be able to use the mobile. And since 3rd party apps already provide many of the other services, I'd rather ANet work on an API for new features, allowing 3rd party devs to do more interesting things.

I agree with this, though I would argue that extending player engagement when not specifically playing the game is a worthwhile venture, even if the resources could have been spent improving those same systems. (Come to think of it: adding higher expected traffic and accessibility to these features may prove to be the required motivator in making such improvements, either in preparation for it, or in reaction to it. Something to consider...)

The issues I see with leaving it solely to 3rd party developers (which despite what I'm about to say, I believe IS the correct and right decision), is twofold: First, there is very little motivation or incentive for tertiary developers to innovate or improve on the features they offer, instead content in simply framing what is being shown. Second, third-party developers only have access to publicly-available APIs; ANet could provide access to more live systems (such as Crafting) that are NOT freely available via public API. Perhaps a fair compromise here is to literally meet in the middle: let ANet contract one/some of these third-party devs (thus making them "second-party") to develop a companion app for them, alleviating the burdens on physical resources, such as staffing and development time.

The one thing that I think ANet really should do, with an app or just a website, it to access the gem shop from outside the game. They should really do a better job of even just showing off what's new|updated|discounted, instead of relying on a player willing to logon daily and spend 10+ minutes to replicate what the gem shop folks already know.

Definitely agree with this, too.

[Ayrilana.1396]

I’m more worried about the security because you add a lot of risk when you open things up to the internet.

[Menadena.7482]

Without knowing their code base they could probably expand things too. For example, I am guessing the 10 email limit is due to server resources. If they can offload all email to people's devices (and keep the most recent 10 on the server) it would make players VERY happy!

[Khisanth.2948]

A more robust API will allow more features to be implemented than what ANet will ever get around to.

Chat is probably the least useful thing given the plethora of social apps around.

[Trise.2865]

@"Sockski.4297" said:I know this isn't realistic and I haven't thought about it enough for there to be much nuance to this statement, but I've always liked the idea of like, maybe a fitness app approach or something. I love gw2 and I play it a ton, and sometimes it's hard to get my butt up to go workout when I'd rather be playing, and it's crossed my mind more than once where I thought, "I wish I could go workout, and have it do something for me in game. Come on ANet, support my physical health." Lol. Maybe it would be like, as you run or something, you get some benefit built up in game. Or maybe you build up energy or something in game, and it can be used to craft something or be converted into karma.

So, I know it's totally out there, but I just want to be able to play guild wars even when I'm trying to be good and not play guild wars! :sweat_smile:

To be clear, I hold no pretense that any of this will actually happen. It's more of a fun thought exercise and exploration of what could be, and what we might think is cool.

That being said, I like this idea! It would likely require integration with some sort of fitness app and/or device (or development as its own, separate app) to work, and they'd have to go over the related Rewards with a fine-toothed comb... I'm imagining some sort of additional Daily tasks for mini-Boosters or Food. As a bonus/stretch feature, what if the awarded items were related to your projected workout? as in, cardio for Vitality buffs, running for Speed buffs, weight training for Power buffs... something like that. Whatcha think?

[Pifil.5193]

A companion app like this takes people away from the game, if someone doesn't have to log in in order to check their mail, or post TP orders, or chat with their guild then it increases the risk that they simply won't log in.

[Cronospere.8143]

Mail: yesChat: yes please!Crafting: NoInventory management: Im not sure, this would somehow make inventory management too easy.Trading post: although i love to have it, i know this would 'break' the game in a dangerous way. Some very experienced tp people could make money anywhere therefor the economy would change completely.

I would love to add an Interactive map of the map your active character is in.andan achievement panel which updates every x seconds so you can track your achievements

So overal: i like the idea very much, but not for features that could change the game too much.

[Sockski.4297]

@Trise.2865 said:

@"Sockski.4297" said:I know this isn't realistic and I haven't thought about it enough for there to be much nuance to this statement, but I've always liked the idea of like, maybe a fitness app approach or something. I love gw2 and I play it a ton, and sometimes it's hard to get my butt up to go workout when I'd rather be playing, and it's crossed my mind more than once where I thought, "I wish I could go workout, and have it do something for me in game. Come on ANet, support my physical health." Lol. Maybe it would be like, as you run or something, you get some benefit built up in game. Or maybe you build up energy or something in game, and it can be used to craft something or be converted into karma.

So, I know it's totally out there, but I just want to be able to play guild wars even when I'm trying to be good and not play guild wars! :sweat_smile:

To be clear, I hold no pretense that any of this will actually happen. It's more of a fun thought exercise and exploration of what could be, and what we might think is cool.

That being said, I like this idea! It would likely require integration with some sort of fitness app and/or device (or development as its own, separate app) to work, and they'd have to go over the related Rewards with a fine-toothed comb... I'm imagining some sort of additional Daily tasks for mini-Boosters or Food. As a bonus/stretch feature, what if the awarded items were related to your projected workout? as in, cardio for Vitality buffs, running for Speed buffs, weight training for Power buffs... something like that. Whatcha think?

Haha, yeah..I work in software so I can empathize with the inevitable headache of integrating something like that, but I like your take on it! Having the exercise style relate to your rewards is interesting. And I like the idea of mini boosters or food as rewards. Nothing too game breaking, but something still incentivizing you to exercise. I still wonder though whether something a little more generic would be the most flexible for people's interests, ya know? As in, maybe I really want that power buff, but weight training is just not the kind of exercise I'm in to. Instead if I earned a general "energy" currency or something that I could use at a vendor to buy those miniboosters or food or the like, then I can workout the way I want, and still feel like I can reap the rewards the way that I want. I really like the food and boosters idea though.