Dream, I can understand your pain. Because I feel the same way in every other MMO about being forced into a specific role. I prefer being a hybrid but in most games that means choosing one or the other not true hybrids.
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
As many have and will state, the game simply doesn't have enough meaningful gameplay / progression options to keep many MMO veterans and hardcore players engaged over the long term.
Sounds like ANet is seeing this as well which is why the 2013 changes seems to be geared towards player retention which is great.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. Very good introduction game.
As an MMO Vet, if i wanted another game based on progression and tiers et al., theres plenty of them out there to choose from.
As an MMO vet, i don't really recall most of the early MMOs built so heavily on the progression that so many folks like to harken back on (NwN, UO, SWG) there were some sure, but this fallacy that MMOs have always been about progression is getting old. Is it casual friendly? Sure it is. Aren't most MMOs these days?
What exactly are you looking for thats so hardcore (out of curiosity)? What is this game lacking that makes it introductory? Again, I agree, it is casual friendly, I'm not disagreeing there, I'm just trying to figure out your definition of it.
Does this game need more work? Sure it does, which MMO doesn't? Particilarly one that was just released 4 (?) months ago. Is this the game i've always imagined in my MMO? Nope, not even close. But i find it pretty fun, and i have no qualms if you don't, different strokes and all that.
Theres a pretty lengthy blog post up about their plans for '13. I know gamers these days expect enough content in an MMO to keep them occupied 8 hours a day 7 days a week , for the next three or four years the moment after launch, but most MMO vets know better, I bet...
hmm, so far its sold exactly half as many copies as diablo3 did on the first day xD,
Diablo 3 sold 3.5 million on the first day, mostly due to the promotion they ran with World of Warcraft subscriptions. How is 3 million half of 3.5 million? Go back to school mate.
your right, it was actually 6 million in the first week and 3.5 on the first day.
But your wrong about the Wow sub's they confirmed these stats didnt include the 12month wow pass deal.
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
I think most people who have played various MMO's will disagree with it being introductory. People come to GW2 becuase they are tired of the usual formula of the trinity, raid gear grind, gear based PVP, and monthly sub.
Since GW2 does so many things different (I'm not saying revolutionary), there is hardly anything in this game that will "prepare" new gamers for other MMO's other than tab targeting and a hotbar.
My problems with the game are numberous. Class balance issues are being left stagnant. Simple to fix WvW issues are being ignored. It seems like Anet feels the need to stay on one path of development even when it is obvious that path didn't work out and isn't going to work out. Coupled with their snail-like responsiveness to issues that leads to a lot of discontent.
Things like nightcapping aren't that hard to deal with yet they insist on leaving them as they are.
Still though, it is a quality game and there is no other game with this sort of PvP out there that I enjoy so I will be here a while.
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
As many have and will state, the game simply doesn't have enough meaningful gameplay / progression options to keep many MMO veterans and hardcore players engaged over the long term.
Sounds like ANet is seeing this as well which is why the 2013 changes seems to be geared towards player retention which is great.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. Very good introduction game.
Not really - how many said that about WoW and Rift when it came out? Not saying GW2 will even get close to WoW but at least they, meaning A.Net, is trying.
What would YOU like to see? I remember your posts about player housing (which I think is goofy - another place to have to grind for materials and gold so you can build it.)
Completely missed the point. I was stating guild wars 2 sold a million starting 2 months after launch meaning the game continue to sell decent past the intial launch buzz. The same can't be said for Diablo 3 otherwise blizzard would have mentioned it. GW2 also reviewed higher based on critics and general user score. Of course bad game is an opinion but gw2 is generally regard as higher by the majority from the information I have.
Yes, sorry, my fault!
I wasnt in any way suggesting that Guildwars2 is a terrible game, or even that sales have any indication as to how good a game is. As you say its a 'top game' which ever way you look at it.
But the OP is asking about *our* opinions after this amount of time, not how the industry rates it
D3 vs GW2 was a large debate at the time, and after this much time, from a personal perspective Diablo3 wins hands down.
Not only that, historically it was Diablo 2's EXPANSION that made it the historical game it is today. But historically when ANET release an expansion for guildwars.. it gets worse and worse. I can see myself playing D3 a lot in the future, but guildwars has most definatly had its day and wont ever make a return, for me.
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
As many have and will state, the game simply doesn't have enough meaningful gameplay / progression options to keep many MMO veterans and hardcore players engaged over the long term.
Sounds like ANet is seeing this as well which is why the 2013 changes seems to be geared towards player retention which is great.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. Very good introduction game.
As an MMO Vet, if i wanted another game based on progression and tiers et al., theres plenty of them out there to choose from.
As an MMO vet, i don't really recall most of the early MMOs built so heavily on the progression that so many folks like to harken back on (NwN, UO, SWG) there were some sure, but this fallacy that MMOs have always been about progression is getting old. Is it casual friendly? Sure it is. Aren't most MMOs these days?
What exactly are you looking for thats so hardcore (out of curiosity)? What is this game lacking that makes it introductory? Again, I agree, it is casual friendly, I'm not disagreeing there, I'm just trying to figure out your definition of it.
Does this game need more work? Sure it does, which MMO doesn't? Particilarly one that was just released 4 (?) months ago. Is this the game i've always imagined in my MMO? Nope, not even close. But i find it pretty fun, and i have no qualms if you don't, different strokes and all that.
Theres a pretty lengthy blog post up about their plans for '13. I know gamers these days expect enough content in an MMO to keep them occupied 8 hours a day 7 days a week , for the next three or four years the moment after launch, but most MMO vets know better, I bet...
Agree with all three quoted posts here with the exception of the underlined bit. I feel that bit is unfair, not to mention completely misleading. I feel players do not want "tons of endless content" they want unscripted content that they can manipulate to their own satisfaction.
Game companies need to stop treating their players like mindless sheep that need to be herded and instead give them at least some tools to make their own fun. GW2 at least attempted to break up some of the standard themepark monotony but at the end of the day once I'd seen the same repetitve game content on a couple of characters I lost any further interest. Just like I have with the last several scripted themepark MMOs.
If you dont do stupid things while youre young, youll have nothing to smile about when youre old.
The report predicts 3.12 million sales of Guild Wars 2 in North America and Europe in 2012, far exceeding NCSoft’s last big Western release, Aion, which sold 1.5 million copies in 2009. Also, NCSoft will receive $48 out of every $59.99 copy of GW2 sold.
I played for two weeks trying to have fun, but the lack of tactic, little char progression/diversification and most of all the lack of fun stopped me.
It's just not for someone who likes deep systems, challenging gameplay and ingame rewards.
Clearly you played for 2 weeks with your eyes closed.
Elementalist can be played 4 ways vastly different from each other, they can be DPS, Heals or secondary tank and do it just by hitting an F key and swap gear. How many games gives you one class that can do it all?
A Ranger can be a beast without swapping gear in both ranged AND melee, something how many games provide?
As for tactics...please, games that are based on the holy trinity require NO TACTICS.
You are a healer, click HoT, click heal, click heal, click heal, click Hot. Yahoo!
In this game, as a healer you MUST use all your skills, not just the heals and even the person/s you are healing must pay attention to when you use YOURS to time using THEIRS so they dont overlap, timed correctly to be in the space of your own cooldowns. That is the difference between fail guilds/groups and those that actually LEARNED the new way of playing provided by this game.
Two people that actually LEARNED the tactics in this game can take out a non-ranged boss. Bet you cant, with 5 people like you.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
As many have and will state, the game simply doesn't have enough meaningful gameplay / progression options to keep many MMO veterans and hardcore players engaged over the long term.
Sounds like ANet is seeing this as well which is why the 2013 changes seems to be geared towards player retention which is great.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. Very good introduction game.
As an MMO Vet, if i wanted another game based on progression and tiers et al., theres plenty of them out there to choose from.
As an MMO vet, i don't really recall most of the early MMOs built so heavily on the progression that so many folks like to harken back on (NwN, UO, SWG) there were some sure, but this fallacy that MMOs have always been about progression is getting old. Is it casual friendly? Sure it is. Aren't most MMOs these days?
What exactly are you looking for thats so hardcore (out of curiosity)? What is this game lacking that makes it introductory? Again, I agree, it is casual friendly, I'm not disagreeing there, I'm just trying to figure out your definition of it.
Does this game need more work? Sure it does, which MMO doesn't? Particilarly one that was just released 4 (?) months ago. Is this the game i've always imagined in my MMO? Nope, not even close. But i find it pretty fun, and i have no qualms if you don't, different strokes and all that.
Theres a pretty lengthy blog post up about their plans for '13. I know gamers these days expect enough content in an MMO to keep them occupied 8 hours a day 7 days a week , for the next three or four years the moment after launch, but most MMO vets know better, I bet...
Agree with all three quoted posts here with the exception of the underlined bit. I feel that bit is unfair, not to mention completely misleading. I feel players do not want "tons of endless content" they want unscripted content that they can manipulate to their own satisfaction.
Game companies need to stop treating their players like mindless sheep that need to be herded and instead give them at least some tools to make their own fun. GW2 at least attempted to break up some of the standard themepark monotony but at the end of the day once I'd seen the same repetitve game content on a couple of characters I lost any further interest. Just like I have with the last several scripted themepark MMOs.
There was more than a lil bit of sarcasm there, forgive me.
What i am REALLY curious to see, is when we do get this sandbox you are alluding too, is, what happens then?
I really am having a hard time seeing todays MMO gamer enjoying a sandbox, though more and more seem to be calling for it. I really enjoy sandboxs myself, and look forward to them, but todays gamers i am more than willing to bet will be screaming for more content, just as they do in every MMO released.
How many trips through Jabba's Palace are people willing to take? or Destard, or seeing crafters making the best gear. "Why bother doing anything if i can craft the best stuffs!1!11!!".
"Wheres ma epixx???"
I'm looking forward to it as much as anyone, I just don't see this as being the answer everyone seems to think it is as far as content and keeping people content (as it were).
hmm, so far its sold exactly half as many copies as diablo3 did on the first day xD, Which is a pretty good indicator, leveling alts, item hunting and acheivments in D3 just seems to be far more gratuitous.
Guildwars2 is neither an MMO nor a standalonge RPG resulting in a game that isnt very very good at either. Great if your a person who is deeply conflicted about these gamyplay styles but not me. I rather play either a thorough-bred MMO or a thorough-bred RPG.
The only people in my friends list that still play it are just people determined to prove the game is as good as they convinced themselves it would be during the hype.
The reality is, it was fun for a month but now is the time to accept it will never be the wow-killer, will never live up to the hype and look for something else.
Diablo 3 is bad game that entirely on the strength of it's predessor and blizzard brand name. When was the last time Blizzard posted any stats about the game sales, yeah the intial one.
I would be careful about throwing around accusations like that. You can easily replace D3 with GW2 and Blizzard with ArenaNET and someone could present you with the same argument. No it's best if you just ignore posters that try to drag down a discussion by bringing in things that are not related to the subject at hand. Calling either game bad is a matter of opinion that varies wildly among millions of players.
Completely missed the point. I was stating guild wars 2 sold a million starting 2 months after launch meaning the game continue to sell decent past the intial launch buzz. The same can't be said for Diablo 3 otherwise blizzard would have mentioned it. GW2 also reviewed higher based on critics and general user score. Of course bad game is an opinion but gw2 is generally regard as higher by the majority from the information I have.
Oh I understand your point but a chevy volt builds a base after it's initial launch and porsche however...
What I'm getting at is that you're comparing two totally different genres, but if that was your point in the first place carry on...
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
hmm, so far its sold exactly half as many copies as diablo3 did on the first day xD, Which is a pretty good indicator, leveling alts, item hunting and acheivments in D3 just seems to be far more gratuitous.
Guildwars2 is neither an MMO nor a standalonge RPG resulting in a game that isnt very very good at either. Great if your a person who is deeply conflicted about these gamyplay styles but not me. I rather play either a thorough-bred MMO or a thorough-bred RPG.
The only people in my friends list that still play it are just people determined to prove the game is as good as they convinced themselves it would be during the hype.
The reality is, it was fun for a month but now is the time to accept it will never be the wow-killer, will never live up to the hype and look for something else.
Diablo 3 is bad game that entirely on the strength of it's predessor and blizzard brand name. When was the last time Blizzard posted any stats about the game sales, yeah the intial one.
I would be careful about throwing around accusations like that. You can easily replace D3 with GW2 and Blizzard with ArenaNET and someone could present you with the same argument. No it's best if you just ignore posters that try to drag down a discussion by bringing in things that are not related to the subject at hand. Calling either game bad is a matter of opinion that varies wildly among millions of players.
Completely missed the point. I was stating guild wars 2 sold a million starting 2 months after launch meaning the game continue to sell decent past the intial launch buzz. The same can't be said for Diablo 3 otherwise blizzard would have mentioned it. GW2 also reviewed higher based on critics and general user score. Of course bad game is an opinion but gw2 is generally regard as higher by the majority from the information I have.
Oh I understand your point but a chevy volt builds a base after it's initial launch and porsche however...
What I'm getting at is that you're comparing two totally different genres, but if that was your point in the first place carry on...
I ain't comparing shit, I wasn't even the person who brought up the comparison in the fiirst place as you'll notice by the quotations. i was just stating that the while the intial quote is true I don't like D3 after having a playing some of it, and that while D3 sold more at launch it it's post launch have seemingly dropped off a cliff (as if it had sold a million or two in that time Blizzard would have surely mentioned it). So it seems not many people bought the game after the intial launch week or month, which isn't the same for gw2. Personal interpretation is that typically that occurs when the reception to said game wasn't great.
I had hundreds of hours of fun and enjoyment. It was a blast until I found out ANet lost their original direction. I don't regret buying a good game, but I don't think it will find a place among the great ones. The ones that the same people keep playing for years to come.
I'll be surprised if the expansion hits 3 million after two years.
Whenever they decide to release one that is. GW2 will be deemed a success or failure based on how many people they've retained willing to buy whatever expansion they are cooking up right now.
There's obviously a difference between financial success and game success.
If they sold 3 million copies, then they made money, and it is indeed a financial success.
But that doesn't say jack about how good or how fun the game is, the majority of those sales were done off of hype, promises, and peoples own imagination of what the game would be like.
So is the game itself (gameplay) a success, that's subjective, and my answer is, no.
I wish that people could finally understand how MMOs work. I wish they finally realize you will never get everything in the first months. In those months, what matters, is what the developer say they plan to do and how their plans are actually working out in game.
I took a break from GW2 because the game needs work, a lot of work, but so does every MMO in it's first year really. I did not because of lack of content (there still thing I haven't done in game) but because of some flaws in mechanics/gameplay system itself that, in at leastpartial way, are apparently going ot be adressed in upcomming updates. Will see after that. That's the beauty of B2P model coupled with rather vertical progression. I can go play other games for month or two and come back without really feeling behind.
It's funny how people these days seem to expect that a MMO out of the box will have content volume similar to games like WoW that's been out for 8 years with 4th expansion out... It's simply impossible. Compared to some recent game releases, however I actually see the GW2 devs working on adding new stuff constantly and actually trying to improve the game. When you compare titles like TSW, Rift or GW2, all of which recieved regular updates since launch to a game like TOR, which went without significant updates since it's launch till just now you can see the difference in approach.
It's a great game and I'm still playing, though not as much as I would like due to work commitments, it will be interesting to see how it evolves over this year and beyond.
There's obviously a difference between financial success and game success.
If they sold 3 million copies, then they made money, and it is indeed a financial success.
But that doesn't say jack about how good or how fun the game is, the majority of those sales were done off of hype, promises, and peoples own imagination of what the game would be like.
So is the game itself (gameplay) a success, that's subjective, and my answer is, no.
That is YOUR answer - MY ANSWER IS YES to gameplay success. We cancel each other out :-)
GW2 is a great entry point for players who are new to MMO's and those that are looking for a very casual friendly online gaming experience.
As many have and will state, the game simply doesn't have enough meaningful gameplay / progression options to keep many MMO veterans and hardcore players engaged over the long term.
Sounds like ANet is seeing this as well which is why the 2013 changes seems to be geared towards player retention which is great.
Aye, the game is perfect for casual players. Too much hand holding for me to have stuck with the game. I knew it was a typical themepark though when I bought it. I treated it like a PS3 game, I bought it, completed it, gave it away.
Comments
As an MMO Vet, if i wanted another game based on progression and tiers et al., theres plenty of them out there to choose from.
As an MMO vet, i don't really recall most of the early MMOs built so heavily on the progression that so many folks like to harken back on (NwN, UO, SWG) there were some sure, but this fallacy that MMOs have always been about progression is getting old. Is it casual friendly? Sure it is. Aren't most MMOs these days?
What exactly are you looking for thats so hardcore (out of curiosity)? What is this game lacking that makes it introductory? Again, I agree, it is casual friendly, I'm not disagreeing there, I'm just trying to figure out your definition of it.
Does this game need more work? Sure it does, which MMO doesn't? Particilarly one that was just released 4 (?) months ago. Is this the game i've always imagined in my MMO? Nope, not even close. But i find it pretty fun, and i have no qualms if you don't, different strokes and all that.
Theres a pretty lengthy blog post up about their plans for '13. I know gamers these days expect enough content in an MMO to keep them occupied 8 hours a day 7 days a week , for the next three or four years the moment after launch, but most MMO vets know better, I bet...
your right, it was actually 6 million in the first week and 3.5 on the first day.
But your wrong about the Wow sub's they confirmed these stats didnt include the 12month wow pass deal.
I played for two weeks trying to have fun, but the lack of tactic, little char progression/diversification and most of all the lack of fun stopped me.
It's just not for someone who likes deep systems, challenging gameplay and ingame rewards.
I think GW2 is awesome. Love it!
I think it's full of rewards personally. And the traits system mixed with weapon controlled skill sets adds more than enough depth for me.
I think most people who have played various MMO's will disagree with it being introductory. People come to GW2 becuase they are tired of the usual formula of the trinity, raid gear grind, gear based PVP, and monthly sub.
Since GW2 does so many things different (I'm not saying revolutionary), there is hardly anything in this game that will "prepare" new gamers for other MMO's other than tab targeting and a hotbar.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
LOL it IS for those folks. It's just not for you
Still playing and still love the game.
For the most part I only do WvW though.
My problems with the game are numberous. Class balance issues are being left stagnant. Simple to fix WvW issues are being ignored. It seems like Anet feels the need to stay on one path of development even when it is obvious that path didn't work out and isn't going to work out. Coupled with their snail-like responsiveness to issues that leads to a lot of discontent.
Things like nightcapping aren't that hard to deal with yet they insist on leaving them as they are.
Still though, it is a quality game and there is no other game with this sort of PvP out there that I enjoy so I will be here a while.
Not really - how many said that about WoW and Rift when it came out? Not saying GW2 will even get close to WoW but at least they, meaning A.Net, is trying.
What would YOU like to see? I remember your posts about player housing (which I think is goofy - another place to have to grind for materials and gold so you can build it.)
Yes, sorry, my fault!
I wasnt in any way suggesting that Guildwars2 is a terrible game, or even that sales have any indication as to how good a game is. As you say its a 'top game' which ever way you look at it.
But the OP is asking about *our* opinions after this amount of time, not how the industry rates it
D3 vs GW2 was a large debate at the time, and after this much time, from a personal perspective Diablo3 wins hands down.
Not only that, historically it was Diablo 2's EXPANSION that made it the historical game it is today. But historically when ANET release an expansion for guildwars.. it gets worse and worse. I can see myself playing D3 a lot in the future, but guildwars has most definatly had its day and wont ever make a return, for me.
Agree with all three quoted posts here with the exception of the underlined bit. I feel that bit is unfair, not to mention completely misleading. I feel players do not want "tons of endless content" they want unscripted content that they can manipulate to their own satisfaction.
Game companies need to stop treating their players like mindless sheep that need to be herded and instead give them at least some tools to make their own fun. GW2 at least attempted to break up some of the standard themepark monotony but at the end of the day once I'd seen the same repetitve game content on a couple of characters I lost any further interest. Just like I have with the last several scripted themepark MMOs.
If you dont do stupid things while youre young, youll have nothing to smile about when youre old.
seems like the analyst prediction from April 2012 (8 months ago) was correct
http://www.gamebreaker.tv/mmorpg/guild0-wars-2-thanksgiving-in-tyria/
The report predicts 3.12 million sales of Guild Wars 2 in North America and Europe in 2012, far exceeding NCSoft’s last big Western release, Aion, which sold 1.5 million copies in 2009. Also, NCSoft will receive $48 out of every $59.99 copy of GW2 sold.
EQ2 fan sites
Clearly you played for 2 weeks with your eyes closed.
Elementalist can be played 4 ways vastly different from each other, they can be DPS, Heals or secondary tank and do it just by hitting an F key and swap gear. How many games gives you one class that can do it all?
A Ranger can be a beast without swapping gear in both ranged AND melee, something how many games provide?
As for tactics...please, games that are based on the holy trinity require NO TACTICS.
You are a healer, click HoT, click heal, click heal, click heal, click Hot. Yahoo!
In this game, as a healer you MUST use all your skills, not just the heals and even the person/s you are healing must pay attention to when you use YOURS to time using THEIRS so they dont overlap, timed correctly to be in the space of your own cooldowns. That is the difference between fail guilds/groups and those that actually LEARNED the new way of playing provided by this game.
Two people that actually LEARNED the tactics in this game can take out a non-ranged boss. Bet you cant, with 5 people like you.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
There was more than a lil bit of sarcasm there, forgive me.
What i am REALLY curious to see, is when we do get this sandbox you are alluding too, is, what happens then?
I really am having a hard time seeing todays MMO gamer enjoying a sandbox, though more and more seem to be calling for it. I really enjoy sandboxs myself, and look forward to them, but todays gamers i am more than willing to bet will be screaming for more content, just as they do in every MMO released.
How many trips through Jabba's Palace are people willing to take? or Destard, or seeing crafters making the best gear. "Why bother doing anything if i can craft the best stuffs!1!11!!".
"Wheres ma epixx???"
I'm looking forward to it as much as anyone, I just don't see this as being the answer everyone seems to think it is as far as content and keeping people content (as it were).
Though i know i will like it...
Oh I understand your point but a chevy volt builds a base after it's initial launch and porsche however...
What I'm getting at is that you're comparing two totally different genres, but if that was your point in the first place carry on...
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I ain't comparing shit, I wasn't even the person who brought up the comparison in the fiirst place as you'll notice by the quotations. i was just stating that the while the intial quote is true I don't like D3 after having a playing some of it, and that while D3 sold more at launch it it's post launch have seemingly dropped off a cliff (as if it had sold a million or two in that time Blizzard would have surely mentioned it). So it seems not many people bought the game after the intial launch week or month, which isn't the same for gw2. Personal interpretation is that typically that occurs when the reception to said game wasn't great.
I'll be surprised if the expansion hits 3 million after two years.
Whenever they decide to release one that is. GW2 will be deemed a success or failure based on how many people they've retained willing to buy whatever expansion they are cooking up right now.
There's obviously a difference between financial success and game success.
If they sold 3 million copies, then they made money, and it is indeed a financial success.
But that doesn't say jack about how good or how fun the game is, the majority of those sales were done off of hype, promises, and peoples own imagination of what the game would be like.
So is the game itself (gameplay) a success, that's subjective, and my answer is, no.
I wish that people could finally understand how MMOs work. I wish they finally realize you will never get everything in the first months. In those months, what matters, is what the developer say they plan to do and how their plans are actually working out in game.
I took a break from GW2 because the game needs work, a lot of work, but so does every MMO in it's first year really. I did not because of lack of content (there still thing I haven't done in game) but because of some flaws in mechanics/gameplay system itself that, in at leastpartial way, are apparently going ot be adressed in upcomming updates. Will see after that. That's the beauty of B2P model coupled with rather vertical progression. I can go play other games for month or two and come back without really feeling behind.
It's funny how people these days seem to expect that a MMO out of the box will have content volume similar to games like WoW that's been out for 8 years with 4th expansion out... It's simply impossible. Compared to some recent game releases, however I actually see the GW2 devs working on adding new stuff constantly and actually trying to improve the game. When you compare titles like TSW, Rift or GW2, all of which recieved regular updates since launch to a game like TOR, which went without significant updates since it's launch till just now you can see the difference in approach.
That is YOUR answer - MY ANSWER IS YES to gameplay success. We cancel each other out :-)
Aye, the game is perfect for casual players. Too much hand holding for me to have stuck with the game. I knew it was a typical themepark though when I bought it. I treated it like a PS3 game, I bought it, completed it, gave it away.
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot