Guild Wars 2 V2: GOTY 2017 or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Arenanet
9,751 replies, posted
Get up.
Frantically turn on laptop.
Check email for reply from ArenaNet.
Nothing.
Sad for the rest of the morning.
(Not a beta invite, mind you, but a reply back from the letter I wrote to them, for those who don't know.)
EDIT: Everywhere I've been looking about contacting ArenaNet has been telling me they don't really check their community email, so I think I'm just going to post it on the Guild Wars 2 Guru forums and tweet them on their twitter account and see if that gets their attention...
[QUOTE=Miskav;35245465]Experience boost isn't an advantage.
[/QUOTE]
There is enormous potential for this statement to be fallacious.
Experience boosts are an advantage when it takes more than a few hours to level a character. In GW a paid experience boost is of absolutely no consequence. I can level a character and access any piece of content in under 10 hours from character creation. Within 20 hours after character creation I can have any pve skills required, and have adequate pve ranks to do anything. A huge portion of that time is spent running around and not gaining experience. In a game like eve where it takes literal months to level abilities, it would offer absolutely absurd advantages.
Even if the time gains are minimal, high end content is almost guaranteed to need specific professions to run optimal team builds in. An experience/reputation boost allows a player to skip enormous amounts of time working on multiple characters. Given what we have seen, it takes a while to develop a character.
Don't be fooled by their claims of absolute parity between professions. This is borderline impossible. Something will always be better at certain tasks than something else. Look at DoTA. It's widely regarded as an amazing competitive game, and yet some heroes are considered worthless, because while in a vacuum their abilities are great, in practice they are either too niche, or outclassed in some way by other ones for nearly every matchup. Jakiro is a perfect example. He is a very good hero. Nearly everything he does is done slightly better by someone else though. There are better team fighters, better pushers, better baby sitters, and you pick those depending on your need.
Drifting back to one of my central points. Something like an experience boost isn't that big of a deal to established players. They will have the money to blow on convenience items. New players will be forced to deal without them, or pay real money for them. This raises the barriers to entry for new players. I shouldn't need to explain why that is a terrible thing.
[QUOTE=Miskav;35245465]Item drop boost could be considered an advantage, though you already have max armor at max level anyway, it only gives extra chances for other skins, I suppose.[/quote]
You do not know this one way or the other. Nor do I. Hence why I said I am refraining from judgement.
I also have not covered the resurrection nonsense. If not handled careful, that could be seven different kinds of bullshit. It's difficult to see how the ability to res yourself in exchange for real world money is not game altering, unless the ability is almost entirely useless for the majority of play.
Its hard to judge until we, you know... play the game.
awesome pageking is awesome.
by the way, can Asura have beards? i want to play a Dwarf in a MMO that's actually fun.
[QUOTE=Zephyrs;35245572]A huge portion of that time is spent running around and not gaining experience... In a game like eve where it takes literal months to level abilities, it would offer absolutely absurd advantages...
...Given what we have seen, it takes a while to develop a character...[/quote]
Who gives a flying shit how many hours you poured into a character? You're stuck in the terrible MMO mindset of "you MUST invest time into your character in order to be worthwhile". GW2's mindset is "you can invest time OR money into your character, but your skill is going to be worth so much more."
I'd much rather have a really excellent player who spent $5 on a 50% xp boost than a terrible MMO dinosaur like you who's proud of getting there "naturally" then stands in the fire all day.
Resurrection orbs seem pretty unfair, even though I know they can't be used in PvP.
"Are you bad at the game? No problem, give us your money"
[QUOTE=DuncanFrost;35247927]Who gives a flying shit how many hours you poured into a character? You're stuck in the terrible MMO mindset of "you MUST invest time into your character in order to be worthwhile". GW2's mindset is "you can invest time OR money into your character, but your skill is going to be worth so much more."
I'd much rather have a really excellent player who spent $5 on a 50% xp boost than a terrible MMO dinosaur like you who's proud of getting there "naturally" then stands in the fire all day.[/QUOTE]
I specifically said that this system is at great risk of making it more difficult for new people. I specifically said that I have problems with that. I point blank said that I fucking hate grind, and that systems like this are frequently used as an excuse to justify the existence of grind. Skill, not time invested should determine your merits, and systems that do not allow for an absolutely level playing field discourage this. This is one of the things that makes dota a phenomenal game. The only barrier to entry is your skill. You seem to think I want someone who has played for 100 hours to be better equipped than someone who has only played for 50. This is not the case.
Pull your head out of your ass, and learn some basic reading comprehension before losing your mind, raging, and erecting straw men next time.
I like how everyone is arguing over the microtransaction system. I view that the system will change over the course of the game's life according to its sales. The reason it seems unreasonable is because they are trying to induce enough funds to support the servers (which are no longer instanced, so it will cost more to run continuously) in the short-term. In the long-term? It will prolly work out....
[video=youtube;2IM2rAK0Q-8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IM2rAK0Q-8[/video]
New stuff from TotalBiscuit.
i just got an email saying that my gw2 pre purchase (which i pre purchased like 2 years+ ago) has been updated to the "including-beta-version". not really sure how it works though, but sounds good to me.
those keys are a terrible idea
[QUOTE=JerryK;35248847]those keys are a terrible idea[/QUOTE]
Let your voice be heard! Tell them!
[editline]22nd March 2012[/editline]
...before it's too late.
I have no problem with the keys, I'm sure you can acquire them in-game. They said that the store is only for people who want cosmetic items or want to cut time.
[QUOTE=Kentz;35248782]i just got an email saying that my gw2 pre purchase (which i pre purchased like 2 years+ ago) has been updated to the "including-beta-version". not really sure how it works though, but sounds good to me.[/QUOTE]
The website I usually pre-order games from doesn't even have Guild Wars 2 in their listing yet, I hope they have it on the website on April 10th.
[QUOTE=Franke_R!?;35249235]I have no problem with the keys, I'm sure you can acquire them in-game. They said that the store is only for people who want cosmetic items or want to cut time.
The website I usually pre-order games from doesn't even have Guild Wars 2 in their listing yet, I hope they have it on the website on April 10th.[/QUOTE]
I'm sure. Also, it was on the FreeRecordShop website for a while too, found it in a youtube add (o_O)
Just looked for it, but they removed it again.
I'm going to go ahead and post the letter I sent ArenaNet for anyone that wants to read it since I've got nothing better to do at the moment.
[B]To Mr. O’Brien and the studio of ArenaNet at large,[/B]
Let me preface this with a formal and friendly greeting that is customary of today’s formal peer-to-peer communication: Hello.
…
Now that these pleasantries have been dealt with, I’d like to avoid any further meandering and get straight to the point of this letter. To allow myself to comply to the normal societal standards and go on to explain to you my current condition with an extended version of simply stating “I am fine,” inquire about how your familial connections are doing, congratulate you on achieving the accolade of over one million beta sign-ups in a mere forty-eight hours, and/or tell you I am a particularly large fan of you and your colleagues’ work would simply rob both you and myself of precious time that is better spent attending to more important and imminent matters, such as, say, putting the finishing touches on an upcoming triple-A Game of the Year massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.
That being said, let’s jump to the reason I’m writing you this soon-to-be strongly worded letter: You really screwed everything up, ArenaNet. Everything we as gamers hold dear and commonplace has been torn apart by your vicious team of extremely talented people. The gaming industry is never going to be the same, and when gamers everywhere look around to see where the blame will fall, they will find that it has fallen within your ranks. When they ask “Who could have possibly done this to us? Who is evil enough to do this without so much as giving any thought to the piles of money they’re making by being this awesome? How could they be so [I]cruel[/I]?” you will be the ones responsible for all the people at Blizzard not being able to feed their families. You’ll be the ones that orphaned all of the children that belong to those EA employees. You will be the ones with the blood of all those other poor gaming development studios out there that just can’t compete with how amazing you made Guild Wars 2.
That’s right: Guild Wars 2 is going to be [I]too good[/I]. Someone has to stand up to you and tell you here and now that if you allow yourself to proceed with releasing this game to the public you will change the gaming industry [I]forever.[/I] There will be no going back. There will be no changing the actions you have committed. You must realize now that there is just too much at stake. Guild Wars 2 is like 410. It’s too good at cleaning, that’s why they release 409. The world isn’t ready for 410. The commercials confirm this for us. No one can handle the cleaning capabilities of 410. No one can handle the awesome capabilities of Guild Wars 2.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/OHgaz.png[/img]
You see, there’s a system in place. A system that provides gamers with the average experience: Talk to the guy, kill some bears in the woods, talk to the guy, repeat. Shell out your fifteen bucks each month and spend hundreds of dollars on Mountain Dew and energy drinks. But you, ArenaNet… Dynamic events that change as players play? Battles with hundreds of people that go on for two weeks at a time? A playstyle for every possible person, all with their own unique stories? [I]For no subscription fee?[/I] It’s devilry, that’s what this is! You’re going to bring the whole system down on our heads. The system we’ve been so complacently abiding by will be gone forever. We’ll have [I]too[/I] many choices, [I]too[/I] many options, [I]too much [B]fun.[/B][/i]
I recently sat down to draw up the options I had for the character I wanted to play in Guild Wars 2 after some extensive (read: obsessive) research on the mechanics of the game and based off my preferred playstyle. I’m the kind of guy who loves to fill out plenty of different roles. I opened up a new document and I typed out a page that looked something like this:
[B] Profession and Race Combinations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[/B]
And then I stared at my screen for what must have been half an hour. In my head, an epic battle between an Asuran Elementalist, a Norn Guardian, a human Thief, a Charr Warrior, and a Sylvari Necromancer was being waged. The Charr brute slashed through wave upon wave of rotting animated corpses with his two blades as the Asura commanded her golem forward while bringing down a great meteor onto the Norn as he entered his ursine form in an attempt to pluck the meteor from the sky with his bear hands (Hehe. Bear hands.) and hurl it towards the human, who had just stepped into the shadows and had begun making his way with greedy hands towards the Sylvari, eyes locked on her glowing scepter.
Back in reality, I was still staring mindlessly at the screen. After I realized the battle in my head wasn’t going to be ending any time soon as a Mesmer manifested from nowhere, an Engineer began tinkering away at his newly deployed turret, and a Ranger began to draw back her bow with her sights on the Charr brute, I then began to type. This was the end result:
[B]Profession and Race Combinations:[/B]
[B]1. [/B]Dammit.
[B]2.[/B] Ugh. Jesus.
[B]3.[/B] I mean, honestly!
[B]4.[/B] There are just too many f*cking options.
[B]5.[/B] A PLAGUE! A PLAGUE UNTO ALL YOUR HOUSES, ARENANET!
The point that I am trying to make by this personal anecdote is that Guild Wars 2 has too many options. I can’t pick a race, profession, and personal story. I can’t decide how much time I want to dedicate to capturing keeps in World vs. World vs. World or going about slaying giant salamanders with my guildies or saving innocent villagers from hordes of centaur. I just [I]can’t[/I] do it, dammit! You’ve put me between a rock and a hard place, ArenaNet, and I am quickly be slammed to bits and pieces between amazing content and uniqueness.
You’ve really outdone yourself, ArenaNet, not to mention that you’ve utterly eclipsed every other developer and publisher out there. Your visions of glory have been achieved. You’ve ascended the mountain and planted your flag at the pinnacle of gaming perfection. You’ve released the gamers from their subscription-fee shackles and done away with their money-obsessed overlords. Bravo. Job well done, ladies and gents. You should consider popping open a bottle of champagne and passing it around joyously at the office. Now please, stop yourselves before it’s too late. You are going to be doing something you will regret. Guild Wars 2 is going to forever destroy the world that gamers have, with much struggle, finally settled into with submission.
For the sake of us all, please, consider the gamers. Our bodies just simply aren’t ready. Guild Wars 2 will be the greatest thing ever. You, my friends at ArenaNet, will be heralded as kings of the industry. You will be known as those brave and extremely gifted souls who knew they could make a difference and did make a difference. Now that you know this is what the future holds in store for you… Don’t make that difference. We gamers can’t afford a difference. We won’t be able to handle the greatness that is Guild Wars 2. Lock it away, destroy all the documents, burn the artwork, kill the writers. Please, ArenaNet. I’m begging you. Please.
[I]Much love,[/I]
Jacob
My body is ready for 410.
[QUOTE=GhostG45;35249379]Text by Jacob[/QUOTE]
Holy mother of Jesus. We want more character slots. You shoulda told em!
[QUOTE=eternalflamez;35249477]Holy mother of Jesus. We want more character slots. You shoulda told em![/QUOTE]
[b]A Letter to ArenaNet, v2:[/b]
P.S. If you could just give us enough character slots so we can literally play any combination of race, profession, and personal story I'll personally send every member of the developer team chocolates and roses.
What is this about earning stuff for your GW2 character in Guild Wars? Something about hall of monuments?
[editline]22nd March 2012[/editline]
"However, your original Guild Wars character names will be reserved for your use in Guild Wars 2. The Hall of Monuments in Guild Wars 2 recognizes the accomplishments commemorated by your original Guild Wars characters and provides you with unique rewards to showcase those achievements."
Found this in the FAQ. Sounds neat, I wonder if I played enough Nightfall to get anything.
[B]Edit: [/B]
Aw it is just for Eye of the North.
[url=http://hom.guildwars2.com/en/]Find out.[/url]
[editline]wad[/editline]
Eye of the North is totally worth getting, loads of cool skills, story and missions.
Get a Guild Wars game (Proph, NF, Factions) as well as Eye of The North. Earn a bunch of titles for rewards, put minipets, heros, weapons there to get points.
Reward calculator: [URL]http://hom.guildwars2.com/en/[/URL]
Type name in top.
(Fu non-explanatory ninjas)
[quote=Twitter]Okay guys, if you did not get a beta key by now, you will not be in the test this weekend. Thanks for being patient! ~RB2[/quote]
So yeah.
[QUOTE=GhostG45;35249379]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/OHgaz.png[/img]
The world isn't ready for 410.
[/QUOTE]
April 10th is when Guild Wars 2 becomes available for pre-purchase.
4/10
410
[QUOTE=psychojake;35250187]April 10th is when Guild Wars 2 becomes available for pre-purchase.
4/10
410[/QUOTE]
Illuminati spelled backwards is itanimulli.
Mike O'Brien is part of the Illuminati.
My God.
[QUOTE=GhostG45;35250568]Illuminati spelled backwards is itanimulli.
Mike O'Brien is part of the Illuminati.
My God.[/QUOTE]
[url=itanimulli.com]itanimulli.com[/url]
[QUOTE=Pie108;35250715][url=itanimulli.com]itanimulli.com[/url][/QUOTE]
Oh my [i]fuck[/i] someone get me the god damn A-Team.
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