Super Adventure Box: A Question Revisited

Homitu

As many of you will remember from this time last month, the Super Adventure Box was introduced.  Much like discussion about the Molten Weapon Facility dungeon today, players discussed whether the SAB's temporary nature was a good idea or if it should be permanent.  

I contemplated making this thread a few days ago.  Considering this retrospectively, I wish I had, for the renewed vigor of the angst directed toward the temporary nature of the Molten Weapon Facility (MWF) is sure to cloud the honesty of some responses now.  Nevertheless, I invite you to ignore the MWF for a moment.  Put it out of your mind and refrain from drawing any association between it and the topic at hand: the Super Adventure Box.  Now I have a few questions for you: 

1.  Did you originally feel the SAB should be permanent, or were you satisfied with it being a temporary special event?

2.  Did you notice any change in the frequency that you played the SAB over the course of the month?

3.  Would you anticipate any further change in the rate you would play the SAB over the next few months?

4.  Do you feel differently about GW2's temporary exclusive content like the SAB now compared to the beginning of the month?   

 

As for myself, I was in love with the SAB when it came out.  I played it extensively, solo, with pugs, with friends, with guildies.  I racked up the achievements, got a couple skins, and got the title.  As the month dragged on, I gradually spent more time in the regular game and less time in the SAB, until by the end of the month, I had gone almost 10 days without running it once.  

Back in the beginning of April, I argued in favor of GW2's monthly exclusive content, citing that it's the very fact that they're temporary that makes them so special and exciting.  Once a month, something new comes out that draws the entire community together to play it.  It feels like a mini expansion day in MMO land.  The hustle and bustle is there.  The world feels so alive with players commited to a unified purpose.  In the beginning of April, I said I would expect that almost noboy would run SAB 5 months from now if it was left in the game.  It wouldn't be much different than Keg Brawl or any other dungeon.  Yes, people use them, but not with the same exciting focus that they did for SAB when it was first released.  Over the course of the month, I learned that, for myself anyway, 5 months would have been a gross overestimation.  It only really took a few weeks for the luster to mostly wear off. 

I'll use the Mad King's Clock Tower as a great example, although you can really substitute any of your favorite evolving content updates.  I personally can't wait for Halloween later this year to get to run this masterpiece of a puzzle again.  When it comes back again, myself and tons of other players are going to have a blast once more.  Whereas, if it was left up this entire time, I suspect only a few players would occasionally run it for kicks.  You'd be lucky if you bumped into anyone when you decided to randomly do it in the middle of June.  It wouldn't be nearly as exciting.

One last point I wish to make.  I think perhaps I would miss the Clock Tower or SAB or Wintersday a whole lot more--because they were all awesome--if GW2 didn't keep throwing more awesome content at me every single month.  As is, it's hard to lament the passing of last month's content when I'm so busy loving this month's new content.  SAB?  What's SAB?  I've got a Molten Alliance dugneon to run!  I've got new stuff to progress toward, new reward to pursue.  

And just as I was sure I'd eventually get my fill of SAB, I'm sure I'll eventually get my fill of this content patch as well.  And about 2 weeks from now, I'll resume my Fractal runs, and dungeon runs, and I'll become more active in WvW again.  The whole "normal' game will open itself back up to me.  By time I get used to getting back into the "normal" GW2 routine, the next content patch will almost be here!  This is the cycle I've found in GW2 so far, and it seems to keep things incredibly fresh.  And it's all because the new patch content is temporary and unique.  

eye_m

I thought it was neat at first, but not overly excited about it. By the end of the month I felt like i was grinding the thing to finally get 1 skin.  I don't care if it goes away, but I doubt I will put any more time into it.