ArenaNet: Linsey Murdock unveils High End Ascended Gear (2012-11-13)

[Vayne]

Er, you're right there, Vayne. GW2 is certainly not a WoW clone. Even if they introduced heavy gear progression it wouldn't be a WoW clone. As I and Fey pointed out, if the gear grind is implemented like most people seem to imagine it to be, it's going to be WoW gearing up to raid without the actual reward of raiding. Or having decent PvE content. Nope, the dungeons are not decent PvE content on their own, sorry. They're more like what a mid-afternoon snack is to dinner. They keep you going until the real meal comes around. And there is no dinner in GW2.

And this change is not going to fix that for anyone interested in PvE. It's only pissing a ton of people off. Reasonably or not? Who cares, they are pissed off nevertheless. It doesn't even have to be rational, and that's where this argument of you with them (or them with you) is kinda pointless. They're telling you that they are pissed off, and you're trying to rationally reason with them. I think they're quite aware that their frustration may be irrational. But after all, in a subjective decision about playing a game, your own decision process doesn't have to be rational.

Strangely, I find Guild Wars to be a decent sit down meal and WoW to be more akin to fast food that tastes okay when you eat it, but gives you indigestion later. It's strongest quality is that it's addictive, much like fast food.

People are pissed off, but in what percentage is the question. And which people. Most of the people complaining have been Guild Wars 1 players, anyway, not WoW players. I have quite a few people in my guild who played WoW who are happy with the changes.

Go figure.

[Lagger]

I don't know those people, what they said and where they're coming from. So I can't make a comment on their statements. But I can tell you that I'm not overly pissed off with this, either. Why? Because it doesn't affect me. I'm used to gearing up. But I'm not going to, because gearing up for nothing is a waste of time. And I have nothing in GW2 that peaks my interest right now. I think I reached the apex when I did the WvW jumping puzzle. Those were 4 hours that I genuinly enjoyed.

I wrote a ton of stuff and deleted it, I don't want to make it seem like a personal attack on you. If you think WoW PvE content is light fast food with indigestion, that is your perogative.

[Fey]

Can we stop arguing semantics yet? You're not even doing it right. Nobody said it IS a wow-clone; we said we fear it's heading down that road.

I just want hugs and epic adventures! T-T

[Ruse]

I already told you, damnit.

[Jim Hunter]

Aww man I miss that show.

[Fey]

I already told you, damnit.

I always knew you were the man in our relationship.

[frunk]

In the new content there's a jumping puzzle called "Under New Management". Also there's a Subdirector Blingg who tries to intimidate Subdirector Noll, plus a golem called BUY-4373. 4373 is a Windows XP error that frequently occurs when there's a rootkit installed on your machine. Looks like there's some devs (possibly even ANet management) that aren't happy with this change either.

[Jim Hunter]

In the new content there's a jumping puzzle called "Under New Management". Also there's a Subdirector Blingg who tries to intimidate Subdirector Noll, plus a golem called BUY-4373. 4373 is a Windows XP error that frequently occurs when there's a rootkit installed on your machine. Looks like there's some devs (possibly even ANet management) that aren't happy with this change either.

Well between NCsoft and Nexon we should have expected some greedy stuff added to the game but breaking the trust of their target audience just seems like a really bad business decision to me.

I think the people they bring in with this change will be very short term and leave the second a new game comes out. The people they are driving away are the ones that would have kept the game world alive.

The only chance they have at retaining these players is to release a direct statement reversing and apologizing for this mistake.

[Vayne]

Well between NCsoft and Nexon we should have expected some greedy stuff added to the game but breaking the trust of their target audience just seems like a really bad business decision to me.

I think the people they bring in with this change will be very short term and leave the second a new game comes out. The people they are driving away are the ones that would have kept the game world alive.

The only chance they have at retaining these players is to release a direct statement reversing and apologizing for this mistake.

I don't see greed at work here. I see accomodation. A percentage of your player base wants something to work for. You don't know that percentage and I don't, but I'm reasonably sure that more people want something to work towards gear wise than not...which doesn't have to be grind.

So you're saying accomodating players who've already bought your game is greedy, and I'm saying it's good business. Losing your core players is lousy, sure, but if you have a lot of people playing your game they've ALL bought it. It's not like only you bought the game, or only I did.

So, yes, it's not great business to piss off your loyal old audience, nor is it great business to ignore your current bigger audience.

Is that greed, or just common sense?

If you were a developer, what would you do?

It's so easy to cast asperations when no one knows what's going on. It's so easy to look at this and say, oh look Anet is getting greedy because they want to keep more players playing the game.

Or maybe that's just what most companies would want to do, and unfortunately the way they want about it pissed off some older players.

But also keep in mind I've played as much Guild Wars 1 as anyone here and I'm not pissed off. Ruzak, if you recall him (he no longer comes here because of the negative tone of the forum) isn't pissed off. Well, I could make a list.

There are a lot of people pissed off and a lot of people welcoming this change.

- - - Updated - - -

In the new content there's a jumping puzzle called "Under New Management". Also there's a Subdirector Blingg who tries to intimidate Subdirector Noll, plus a golem called BUY-4373. 4373 is a Windows XP error that frequently occurs when there's a rootkit installed on your machine. Looks like there's some devs (possibly even ANet management) that aren't happy with this change either.

Or it could just be a coincidence. This is how rumors start.

[Jim Hunter]

Yes people wanted something to work towards but there was no reason ithad to be a gear treadmill.

Not trying anything else first is why I call this greed. They know the skinner box will keep done people addicted so they went with the easy route.

Maybe pissed off was to strong of a term but can you honestly say you are happy with this new direction?