I've been on indefinite break for ... about a year now after quitting my raid team. This was shortly after the layoffs happened and I thought that the game would never live long enough to go in the direction I wanted.
However, the upcoming Canthan expansion will mark the point that I'll come back. I really want to re-explore the Echovald Forest and the Jade Sea that I loved so much back in my GW Factions days.
Meh.. I played a bit during the Quarantine to pass the time, was fun for a while, but as with all things, I was eventually starkly reminded why I left before.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
Out of all the mainstream MMOs, this one disappoints me the most.
They have such a winning formula and squander it repeatedly.
Way too much resources wasted on throw away living story episodes. Too much resources wasted on raids, too much resources wasted in the gem store. Basically they allocate their resources in the stupidest areas of the game.
The fact that they are pushing forward with a 3rd expansion running on directx9 instead of a real upgrade speaks volumes about the faith they have in their own product. It's being sent out for one last milking before maintenance mode.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Hummm, I stand corrected, I guess GW2 was like every other game out there
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Instead of arguing the matter, I'd like to actually say that retro/alternate servers would be cool. One for vanilla GW2. One for beta GW2 (upped mob difficulty).
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Have access to all specs and elite specs for your primary, along with all non-elite specs for your secondary. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Instead of arguing the matter, I'd like to actually say that retro/alternate servers would be cool. One for vanilla GW2. One for beta GW2 (upped mob difficulty).
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
All that would take a redesign of the game engine and that is not going to happen. Also, being on Amazon servers now, that might mean more money, I don't think that is going to happen either.
If you want GW1, play GW1. It is that simple. GW2 will never be made into GW1 as A.Net said when EotN came out in GW1 that dual professions was a huge mistake as it led to unintended consequences and builds that were OP.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Instead of arguing the matter, I'd like to actually say that retro/alternate servers would be cool. One for vanilla GW2. One for beta GW2 (upped mob difficulty).
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
All that would take a redesign of the game engine and that is not going to happen. Also, being on Amazon servers now, that might mean more money, I don't think that is going to happen either.
If you want GW1, play GW1. It is that simple. GW2 will never be made into GW1 as A.Net said when EotN came out in GW1 that dual professions was a huge mistake as it led to unintended consequences and builds that were OP.
First off, I didn't ask for your dismissive opinion.
Second off, unless you happen to be intimately familiar with their engine or they've released a specific statement on this, you can't state for sure whether such a thing requires a full redesign. And in fact, given their ability to change your skill bar to include skills unrelated to your class, that may well be nonsense.
Thirdly, I should have a viable alternative that isn't a 15 year old game in maintenance mode, fuck you kindly. If they were to remaster or continue active development, I'd be glad to.
Fourth, how the fuck is that philosophy working out for them? Massive layoffs, you say? A dumbed down game that also has massive balance issues you say? Yeah. Thought so.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Instead of arguing the matter, I'd like to actually say that retro/alternate servers would be cool. One for vanilla GW2. One for beta GW2 (upped mob difficulty).
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
All that would take a redesign of the game engine and that is not going to happen. Also, being on Amazon servers now, that might mean more money, I don't think that is going to happen either.
If you want GW1, play GW1. It is that simple. GW2 will never be made into GW1 as A.Net said when EotN came out in GW1 that dual professions was a huge mistake as it led to unintended consequences and builds that were OP.
First off, I didn't ask for your dismissive opinion.
Second off, unless you happen to be intimately familiar with their engine or they've released a specific statement on this, you can't state for sure whether such a thing requires a full redesign. And in fact, given their ability to change your skill bar to include skills unrelated to your class, that may well be nonsense.
Thirdly, I should have a viable alternative that isn't a 15 year old game in maintenance mode, fuck you kindly. If they were to remaster or continue active development, I'd be glad to.
Fourth, how the fuck is that philosophy working out for them? Massive layoffs, you say? A dumbed down game that also has massive balance issues you say? Yeah. Thought so.
To be fair.
GW2 - Core, Blew the ever living hell out of GW1 as far as income and earnings went, for the first 3 years of GW2 even their lowest point was better than the highest point in GW1's earnings.
So, what they did with core, that first base game.. that DID work for them, and work quite well to be honest.
Now, their massive layoffs came after they tried to cater to their vocal and thus perceived larger hardcore population, that, to be honest, never materialized into viable income, and since then, they have only been going mainly downhill in earnings, with a slight uptick thanks to PoF, being almost an apology to their casual base.. but.. Yah.. -ALMOST-, which is why it was nowhere near enough to get a true rebound going.
As for your options, well.. why should you get anything when what I had enjoyed was taken from me as well?
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
But this forum will still pretend that a game that is 8 years old and counting is a failure.
To be fair the Core game was amazing, truly a revelatory approach to how to make an MMO, and that really has been their saving grace.
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
Instead of arguing the matter, I'd like to actually say that retro/alternate servers would be cool. One for vanilla GW2. One for beta GW2 (upped mob difficulty).
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
All that would take a redesign of the game engine and that is not going to happen. Also, being on Amazon servers now, that might mean more money, I don't think that is going to happen either.
If you want GW1, play GW1. It is that simple. GW2 will never be made into GW1 as A.Net said when EotN came out in GW1 that dual professions was a huge mistake as it led to unintended consequences and builds that were OP.
First off, I didn't ask for your dismissive opinion.
Second off, unless you happen to be intimately familiar with their engine or they've released a specific statement on this, you can't state for sure whether such a thing requires a full redesign. And in fact, given their ability to change your skill bar to include skills unrelated to your class, that may well be nonsense.
Thirdly, I should have a viable alternative that isn't a 15 year old game in maintenance mode, fuck you kindly. If they were to remaster or continue active development, I'd be glad to.
Fourth, how the fuck is that philosophy working out for them? Massive layoffs, you say? A dumbed down game that also has massive balance issues you say? Yeah. Thought so.
To be fair.
GW2 - Core, Blew the ever living hell out of GW1 as far as income and earnings went, for the first 3 years of GW2 even their lowest point was better than the highest point in GW1's earnings.
So, what they did with core, that first base game.. that DID work for them, and work quite well to be honest.
Now, their massive layoffs came after they tried to cater to their vocal and thus perceived larger hardcore population, that, to be honest, never materialized into viable income, and since then, they have only been going mainly downhill in earnings, with a slight uptick thanks to PoF, being almost an apology to their casual base.. but.. Yah.. -ALMOST-, which is why it was nowhere near enough to get a true rebound going.
As for your options, well.. why should you get anything when what I had enjoyed was taken from me as well?
Why should I get anything? Maybe because I've supported the franchise from the beginning. I was a pretty solid spender and certainly an advocate.
I also don't and didn't advocate your experience having been "taken from you." I have never in my time playing said "you know what this game needs? It needs to be more mechanically difficult." I have, however, asked for more skills to play with, and a build system that I can actually experiment with for hours. If I spent as much time playing with how my characters functioned as I did with how they look, that would have been what I was asking for.
Mine was absolutely taken from me from the start and I want it back. I want an intellectual experience again, and that isn't mutually exclusive from the approachable/casual one you enjoyed.
In fact, I'd argue that the first game was MORE convenient and approachable in some key ways that matter a lot. Not needing backup gear to change your build. Being able to freely respec in towns whenever you want. Very low time to reach max level. AI hero companions for when you can't or don't want to find groups. Difficulty options for every map in the game so you can set your own experience. These are all excellent things.
Unfortunately, the only way I might ever see that kind of game again is via spiritual successor.
Why should I get anything? Maybe because I've supported the franchise from the beginning. I was a pretty solid spender and certainly an advocate.
I also don't and didn't advocate your experience having been "taken from you." I have never in my time playing said "you know what this game needs? It needs to be more mechanically difficult." I have, however, asked for more skills to play with, and a build system that I can actually experiment with for hours. If I spent as much time playing with how my characters functioned as I did with how they look, that would have been what I was asking for.
Mine was absolutely taken from me from the start and I want it back. I want an intellectual experience again, and that isn't mutually exclusive from the approachable/casual one you enjoyed.
In fact, I'd argue that the first game was MORE convenient and approachable in some key ways that matter a lot. Not needing backup gear to change your build. Being able to freely respec in towns whenever you want. Very low time to reach max level. AI hero companions for when you can't or don't want to find groups. Difficulty options for every map in the game so you can set your own experience. These are all excellent things.
Unfortunately, the only way I might ever see that kind of game again is via spiritual successor.
Got rid of a lot of the quotes to clear room, it was getting messy.
Yay.. you spent money on the game.. so did I, so did many that got the shaft with HoT.
GW2 didn't need Hires, the game was open, we could solo most it, and the group content was small group, and for the most part, easy enough to hot-join Pug, so there was little stress and lots of enjoyment to be had, with what was there.
And I am going to be honest, Back-Up gear was a Hardcore Meta thing, I never met a casual that so much as talked about needing or wanting a second set of anything, just was not something that was part of that demographic.
I think that is kinda why Templates (Another feature that was begged for by the vocal minority of hardcore players) was not the crown jewel that perhaps Anet was expecting it to be.. because.. really.. I'm a Effing Casual.. framing various armor sets, and dumping a few hundred gold, and months of time for each one, is.. well.. not on my list of things I find fun.. and I can't think of a single casual that I met that thought it was fun either. That was a hardcore thing.. and pandering to them, has not been really all that profitable to Anet, but they have opted to continue to do so.
But in the end of things.. we both feel that we kinda lost something eh? Funny how that works.
For me.. the game I started playing, the game I had been enjoying, was broken right before my eyes, I watched it get torn from me, while, your game was not taken from you, last I looked, GW1 is still around.. albeit, it might be maintenance mode, but that just means that it is exactly as you remember it, and you can always go back and play it as you had in the past.
Speaking of playing other games, last I looked we both moved on other games, haven't we?
Funny, because I went back and started playing a 14 year old game again, and you feel that a 15 year old game is beneath you.
In any case, I stand by what I said. Regardless of how you might feel about GW2, it is still the bottom earner of NcSofts MMO legions, and that is a very precarious place to be.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
Why should I get anything? Maybe because I've supported the franchise from the beginning. I was a pretty solid spender and certainly an advocate.
I also don't and didn't advocate your experience having been "taken from you." I have never in my time playing said "you know what this game needs? It needs to be more mechanically difficult." I have, however, asked for more skills to play with, and a build system that I can actually experiment with for hours. If I spent as much time playing with how my characters functioned as I did with how they look, that would have been what I was asking for.
Mine was absolutely taken from me from the start and I want it back. I want an intellectual experience again, and that isn't mutually exclusive from the approachable/casual one you enjoyed.
In fact, I'd argue that the first game was MORE convenient and approachable in some key ways that matter a lot. Not needing backup gear to change your build. Being able to freely respec in towns whenever you want. Very low time to reach max level. AI hero companions for when you can't or don't want to find groups. Difficulty options for every map in the game so you can set your own experience. These are all excellent things.
Unfortunately, the only way I might ever see that kind of game again is via spiritual successor.
Got rid of a lot of the quotes to clear room, it was getting messy.
Yay.. you spent money on the game.. so did I, so did many that got the shaft with HoT.
GW2 didn't need Hires, the game was open, we could solo most it, and the group content was small group, and for the most part, easy enough to hot-join Pug, so there was little stress and lots of enjoyment to be had, with what was there.
And I am going to be honest, Back-Up gear was a Hardcore Meta thing, I never met a casual that so much as talked about needing or wanting a second set of anything, just was not something that was part of that demographic.
I think that is kinda why Templates (Another feature that was begged for by the vocal minority of hardcore players) was not the crown jewel that perhaps Anet was expecting it to be.. because.. really.. I'm a Effing Casual.. framing various armor sets, and dumping a few hundred gold, and months of time for each one, is.. well.. not on my list of things I find fun.. and I can't think of a single casual that I met that thought it was fun either. That was a hardcore thing.. and pandering to them, has not been really all that profitable to Anet, but they have opted to continue to do so.
But in the end of things.. we both feel that we kinda lost something eh? Funny how that works.
For me.. the game I started playing, the game I had been enjoying, was broken right before my eyes, I watched it get torn from me, while, your game was not taken from you, last I looked, GW1 is still around.. albeit, it might be maintenance mode, but that just means that it is exactly as you remember it, and you can always go back and play it as you had in the past.
Speaking of playing other games, last I looked we both moved on other games, haven't we?
Funny, because I went back and started playing a 14 year old game again, and you feel that a 15 year old game is beneath you.
I moved away from online games in general. Because there is just nothing catering to me anymore. It's all action, action, action. Text your reflexes here! Nothing where I can be creative and think and be tested on my game knowledge. Save for like Path of Exile or something, which has its own issues. So I mostly just log in to something when a friend wants to play.
So, I basically moved to single player games where my only concern is on enjoying the story. Not being beholden to daily quests, scheduled events, or other players' expectations is actually liberating. I think it's made me a happier gamer, or at least a less stressed out one.
And when I play an online game I want to have content to look forward to. That's not unreasonable. GW1 as a game holds up great, at least for content that has enough people to play with. But it isn't getting new content. It isn't getting balance patches to keep things fresh. These things are important for an online game, and especially for someone like me who likes to experiment. If the balance and content isn't changing, I can only experiment for so long.
I moved away from online games in general. Because there is just nothing catering to me anymore. It's all action, action, action. Text your reflexes here! Nothing where I can be creative and think and be tested on my game knowledge. Save for like Path of Exile or something, which has its own issues. So I mostly just log in to something when a friend wants to play.
So, I basically moved to single player games where my only concern is on enjoying the story. Not being beholden to daily quests, scheduled events, or other players' expectations is actually liberating. I think it's made me a happier gamer, or at least a less stressed out one.
gosh... you sound like such a filthy casual.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
I moved away from online games in general. Because there is just nothing catering to me anymore. It's all action, action, action. Text your reflexes here! Nothing where I can be creative and think and be tested on my game knowledge. Save for like Path of Exile or something, which has its own issues. So I mostly just log in to something when a friend wants to play.
So, I basically moved to single player games where my only concern is on enjoying the story. Not being beholden to daily quests, scheduled events, or other players' expectations is actually liberating. I think it's made me a happier gamer, or at least a less stressed out one.
gosh... you sound like such a filthy casual.
Never claimed otherwise. The only thing that's ever been hardcore is hours played. *shrugs*
Anyone that sung the praise of Raids being put into GW2, does not get the claim the casual title, but now that you seem to sliding in that direction, hopefully it will dawn on you how much a shitshow Raids being put into GW2 was for the casual demographic.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
Anyone that sung the praise of Raids being put into GW2, does not get the claim the casual title, but now that you seem to sliding in that direction, hopefully it will dawn on you how much a shitshow Raids being put into GW2 was for the casual demographic.
They are not. I have not done a raid but feel so what? If people want to do them, great. I feel no pressure, no nothing.
Anyone that sung the praise of Raids being put into GW2, does not get the claim the casual title, but now that you seem to sliding in that direction, hopefully it will dawn on you how much a shitshow Raids being put into GW2 was for the casual demographic.
Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot claim? Or does being a prickly douche-canoe just bestow its own authority?
Anyone that sung the praise of Raids being put into GW2, does not get the claim the casual title, but now that you seem to sliding in that direction, hopefully it will dawn on you how much a shitshow Raids being put into GW2 was for the casual demographic.
They are not. I have not done a raid but feel so what? If people want to do them, great. I feel no pressure, no nothing.
Anyone that sung the praise of Raids being put into GW2, does not get the claim the casual title, but now that you seem to sliding in that direction, hopefully it will dawn on you how much a shitshow Raids being put into GW2 was for the casual demographic.
Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot claim? Or does being a prickly douche-canoe just bestow its own authority?
More like calling out your BS if you claim to be the King of England.
But reality check, you don't get to just claim to be anything you want and think that is enough, you need to actually be that, which, I'll say this again. If you happy and praising Anet for adding raids to GW2.. No.. Sir.. You are NOT a casual anymore than you are Mary Queen of Scots.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
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However, the upcoming Canthan expansion will mark the point that I'll come back. I really want to re-explore the Echovald Forest and the Jade Sea that I loved so much back in my GW Factions days.
They have such a winning formula and squander it repeatedly.
Way too much resources wasted on throw away living story episodes. Too much resources wasted on raids, too much resources wasted in the gem store. Basically they allocate their resources in the stupidest areas of the game.
The fact that they are pushing forward with a 3rd expansion running on directx9 instead of a real upgrade speaks volumes about the faith they have in their own product. It's being sent out for one last milking before maintenance mode.
Wonder if they would ever consider a classic server like WoW did? lol
However, keep in mind it was the HoT expansion that was ill received, and that took place in 2015, so it's been 5 years since what could be seen a massive blunder.
5 years and still going, with updates, It's not bad at all, in fact, that looks pretty good, but keep in mind, it's not really that impressive either.
Just for reference, SWG lasted 4 years after they launched their NGE which has been well noted to have been the death kneel for their game, they kept going for another 4 more years while bleeding players while still updating the game, before they finally shut down, so, you are not looking at any landmark numbers here for survivability.
The fact they had to develop mega-servers for PvE, and link WvW servers for PvP, is a clear sign they don't have anywhere near the population they once had, but that happens to all MMO's I wager.
While I would like to believe they are far from dead, as I keep thinking of something that would pull me back into playing again.. and I can recapture the pure joy that GW2 once was to play, the realist in me has another vision, and the facts remain that they are owned by NCSoft, and right now, they are one of their lowest earning MMO's, which, unfortunately is not a good place to be.
And one that I'd be interested in - big brain GW2. GW1 style. Unrestricted slot 6-10 skills. Dual classing. Have access to all specs and elite specs for your primary, along with all non-elite specs for your secondary. Choose either of your class's weapon skills for each of your weapons on a slot by slot basis. The sort of thing I've always wanted for the game.
If you want GW1, play GW1. It is that simple. GW2 will never be made into GW1 as A.Net said when EotN came out in GW1 that dual professions was a huge mistake as it led to unintended consequences and builds that were OP.
Second off, unless you happen to be intimately familiar with their engine or they've released a specific statement on this, you can't state for sure whether such a thing requires a full redesign. And in fact, given their ability to change your skill bar to include skills unrelated to your class, that may well be nonsense.
Thirdly, I should have a viable alternative that isn't a 15 year old game in maintenance mode, fuck you kindly. If they were to remaster or continue active development, I'd be glad to.
Fourth, how the fuck is that philosophy working out for them? Massive layoffs, you say? A dumbed down game that also has massive balance issues you say? Yeah. Thought so.
GW2 - Core, Blew the ever living hell out of GW1 as far as income and earnings went, for the first 3 years of GW2 even their lowest point was better than the highest point in GW1's earnings.
So, what they did with core, that first base game.. that DID work for them, and work quite well to be honest.
Now, their massive layoffs came after they tried to cater to their vocal and thus perceived larger hardcore population, that, to be honest, never materialized into viable income, and since then, they have only been going mainly downhill in earnings, with a slight uptick thanks to PoF, being almost an apology to their casual base.. but.. Yah.. -ALMOST-, which is why it was nowhere near enough to get a true rebound going.
As for your options, well.. why should you get anything when what I had enjoyed was taken from me as well?
I also don't and didn't advocate your experience having been "taken from you." I have never in my time playing said "you know what this game needs? It needs to be more mechanically difficult." I have, however, asked for more skills to play with, and a build system that I can actually experiment with for hours. If I spent as much time playing with how my characters functioned as I did with how they look, that would have been what I was asking for.
Mine was absolutely taken from me from the start and I want it back. I want an intellectual experience again, and that isn't mutually exclusive from the approachable/casual one you enjoyed.
In fact, I'd argue that the first game was MORE convenient and approachable in some key ways that matter a lot. Not needing backup gear to change your build. Being able to freely respec in towns whenever you want. Very low time to reach max level. AI hero companions for when you can't or don't want to find groups. Difficulty options for every map in the game so you can set your own experience. These are all excellent things.
Unfortunately, the only way I might ever see that kind of game again is via spiritual successor.
Yay.. you spent money on the game.. so did I, so did many that got the shaft with HoT.
GW2 didn't need Hires, the game was open, we could solo most it, and the group content was small group, and for the most part, easy enough to hot-join Pug, so there was little stress and lots of enjoyment to be had, with what was there.
And I am going to be honest, Back-Up gear was a Hardcore Meta thing, I never met a casual that so much as talked about needing or wanting a second set of anything, just was not something that was part of that demographic.
I think that is kinda why Templates (Another feature that was begged for by the vocal minority of hardcore players) was not the crown jewel that perhaps Anet was expecting it to be.. because.. really.. I'm a Effing Casual.. framing various armor sets, and dumping a few hundred gold, and months of time for each one, is.. well.. not on my list of things I find fun.. and I can't think of a single casual that I met that thought it was fun either. That was a hardcore thing.. and pandering to them, has not been really all that profitable to Anet, but they have opted to continue to do so.
But in the end of things.. we both feel that we kinda lost something eh? Funny how that works.
For me.. the game I started playing, the game I had been enjoying, was broken right before my eyes, I watched it get torn from me, while, your game was not taken from you, last I looked, GW1 is still around.. albeit, it might be maintenance mode, but that just means that it is exactly as you remember it, and you can always go back and play it as you had in the past.
Speaking of playing other games, last I looked we both moved on other games, haven't we?
Funny, because I went back and started playing a 14 year old game again, and you feel that a 15 year old game is beneath you.
In any case, I stand by what I said. Regardless of how you might feel about GW2, it is still the bottom earner of NcSofts MMO legions, and that is a very precarious place to be.
So, I basically moved to single player games where my only concern is on enjoying the story. Not being beholden to daily quests, scheduled events, or other players' expectations is actually liberating. I think it's made me a happier gamer, or at least a less stressed out one.
And when I play an online game I want to have content to look forward to. That's not unreasonable. GW1 as a game holds up great, at least for content that has enough people to play with. But it isn't getting new content. It isn't getting balance patches to keep things fresh. These things are important for an online game, and especially for someone like me who likes to experiment. If the balance and content isn't changing, I can only experiment for so long.
This.
But reality check, you don't get to just claim to be anything you want and think that is enough, you need to actually be that, which, I'll say this again. If you happy and praising Anet for adding raids to GW2.. No.. Sir.. You are NOT a casual anymore than you are Mary Queen of Scots.