Predictions For GW2's Future?
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Big difference between GW2 and all other non-WoW MMOs? No subscription fee, by design. That alone will at least double any success it gets, partly because people don't like paying subscription fees and partly because it means they don't need to make the game into a Skinner Box intended to keep you playing forever so they can take your $15 every month. (Also, what counts as a subscriber for GW2 is different. Someone who loves the game can log in once every 2 months if they want and still be considered a subscriber.)Saviordd1 said:
Also, if your definition of success for an MMO is "subscription numbers equaling WoW's" then you're kind of a crazy person. I'd say that 1 million subscribers could pretty easily be considered a huge success, even if it's 1/10th of what WoW has.
OT: I made a little speculative list of expansions, because I was bored.
Area: North (Far Shiverpeaks, etc.)
New race: kodan
Dragon: Jormag
Area: East (Elona, etc.)
New race: maybe nagas
Dragon: Kralkatorrik
Area: South (Cantha, etc.)
New race: tengu
Dragon: Bubbles the Sea Dragon
Area: West (unknown territory)
New race: maybe seers, cloned back into existence by ancient asura
Dragon: Primordus
They said they wouldn't be adding any new professions, but they might add new weapons.
Hey, weren't you the guy a while back who was saying you should keep an open mind and not judge a game until you've played it?Orks da best said:
I guess that only applies to SWTOR though.
Also, it's a proven fact that you can only ever enjoy one MMO in your life. Liking SWTOR completely precludes you from liking GW2. Clearly.
PS: I also hate PvP, but I'm very excited for GW2. And I loved playing my Imperial Agent. So. And if you haven't heard any hate, then you haven't been paying much attention. A lot of people hate the fact that it has a cash shop, even though their cash shop is one of the fairest ones I've seen. (But since you think GW2 has nothing but PvP and 5-man dungeons for endgame, it's pretty clear that you haven't been paying attention. But just keep being a hipster, that's fine.)
I think the biggest challenge Guild Wars 2 might have to overcome is, well, the difficulty. From what I'm hearing, the game gets incredibly challenging after ~level 10, and while it's mostly described as a "Good Thing" in contrast to the Rock'em Sock'em Robot combat of more common MMOs, I'm thinking the amount of emphasis combat has on rolling around like a pill bug may alienate a lot of people... unless the game also allows some characters to take a "Stand And Deliver"-type approach to combat, which I think might be possible too with the flexibilty the skill system delivers.
It's hard to gauge how negative the mobility and difficulty will be due to the enthusiasm and positive feedback. So far, all I know is that if you want to be a rolly-polly in combat, the game lets you, and that passively taking hits is the #1 way to fall over.
It's hard to gauge how negative the mobility and difficulty will be due to the enthusiasm and positive feedback. So far, all I know is that if you want to be a rolly-polly in combat, the game lets you, and that passively taking hits is the #1 way to fall over.
It's not quite that simple. You can only dodgeroll twice in a row before your endurance meter runs out and you need to wait for it to fill back up again. They intend to make you learn which attacks are important to dodge and which ones you'd be better off soaking up. (Circle strafing helps though.)Scow2 said:
I agree, though, I think the learning curve will be the thing people like the least about the game. But at least it's another thing that makes it stand out in the genre.
What GW2 is doing, is trying to make the combat more action oriented. In that you dodge or block attacks based on the actions you perform, and not based on when a number generator decides. As far as going toe to toe with an enemy, it is still possible but youll have to adapt your playstyle. The combat will require you to take a form of action to avoid the big hits, but it wont always be roll away. You can blind, stun, or use block skills as a few examples.Scow2 said:
I do agree that it will take some people a while to learn that just equipping a shield wont automatically make you block hits.
To answer your points.
1) Underwater cities and events exist as alternatives to above ground cities and events. It essentially controls like Zero Gravity in Dead Space 2 and by that I mean it controls like pure breed awesome. They aren't going to pull a World of Warcraft and make a race entirely underwater, since most of the content is above ground. Every race can go anywhere in the world, from underwater to on land with no bad shiz happening to them.
2) Probably not going to happen since all classes are already accounted for. And every class is a, if you played 3rd edition D&D, a bard with only a slight favoring to either stealth or hitting things with a big stick. There is no holy trinity, therefore everyone has to be able to be able to semi do everything, from healing to DPS to adding conditions, all have to be able to do it equally well, thus a "Black Knight" Class would be useless.
3) Arena Net, from what I know, is not based in Japan, but in UK or US, but I can't remember where. It will most likely hit Japanese MMO's in the groin like their fanbases have started to do for a while.
From what they said, and from what I understand, there will be no expansion packs that aren't free, since the Cash Shop will be available instead. The Cash Shop will most likely be what it was in Guild Wars 1, which is a few EXP boosts, Gold boosts and Reputation boosts along with the ability to buy special costumes that have no stats.
Once again, no new races are planned, only the Asura and Sylvari are currently being made. No new classes are planned as of yet, since all the base classes are already made. The Cash Shop exists only for cosmetic / leveling purposes, but leveling isn't as important due to going back to the starter town means that your back to about level 4, even if your level 20. No real differences between races, so a Asura can be wielding a great sword as well as a Charr and Sylvari can still cast fire despite being essentially plants. Personal Stories are only a part of the game, and aren't badly written and offer a fun way to get into some instances and these are the only instances.
And finally, the game is still under developtment and if your making up your mind not to play it because you played beta and experienced bugs means that you should be slapped and understand that everything is subject to change then make up your mind once you get to play the full version.
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If you mean after release, which we can suspect for December and earlier if everything goes well.
1) Nothing is so this statement is false since nothing can be a flawless gem.
2) It doesn't need to topple WoW, just bring down its subscriber numbers low enough to where it becomes un-profitable, you know, like every other MMO has been doing for the past decade.
3) For the MMO genre it very much is in its category. And the category is MMORPG, at least that is what we can assume, since they themselves have just called it a game for a while. Its one of the very few non-hotkey based MMORPG's to come out in a while and it actually suceeds in this.
Have at thy good sir.
1) Underwater cities and events exist as alternatives to above ground cities and events. It essentially controls like Zero Gravity in Dead Space 2 and by that I mean it controls like pure breed awesome. They aren't going to pull a World of Warcraft and make a race entirely underwater, since most of the content is above ground. Every race can go anywhere in the world, from underwater to on land with no bad shiz happening to them.
2) Probably not going to happen since all classes are already accounted for. And every class is a, if you played 3rd edition D&D, a bard with only a slight favoring to either stealth or hitting things with a big stick. There is no holy trinity, therefore everyone has to be able to be able to semi do everything, from healing to DPS to adding conditions, all have to be able to do it equally well, thus a "Black Knight" Class would be useless.
3) Arena Net, from what I know, is not based in Japan, but in UK or US, but I can't remember where. It will most likely hit Japanese MMO's in the groin like their fanbases have started to do for a while.
From what they said, and from what I understand, there will be no expansion packs that aren't free, since the Cash Shop will be available instead. The Cash Shop will most likely be what it was in Guild Wars 1, which is a few EXP boosts, Gold boosts and Reputation boosts along with the ability to buy special costumes that have no stats.
Once again, no new races are planned, only the Asura and Sylvari are currently being made. No new classes are planned as of yet, since all the base classes are already made. The Cash Shop exists only for cosmetic / leveling purposes, but leveling isn't as important due to going back to the starter town means that your back to about level 4, even if your level 20. No real differences between races, so a Asura can be wielding a great sword as well as a Charr and Sylvari can still cast fire despite being essentially plants. Personal Stories are only a part of the game, and aren't badly written and offer a fun way to get into some instances and these are the only instances.
And finally, the game is still under developtment and if your making up your mind not to play it because you played beta and experienced bugs means that you should be slapped and understand that everything is subject to change then make up your mind once you get to play the full version.
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For what I know, the only next races coming are the Sylvari, which are like humans and plants combined, and the Asura which look like the Gremlins from Gremlins but the minds of mad scientists and more cute while retaining danger.Korten12 said:
If you mean after release, which we can suspect for December and earlier if everything goes well.
Remember people, theres such a thing as Google and Interviews where they most likely covered this topic. Yes, there will be underwater events and cities home to a new race of fish people who you can do things with, such as buying equipment or doing jobs for in case theres a band of underwater sharks that are giving them grief.Jynthor said:
Underwater only exists as a option if you want to explore the depths. It is not mandatory, from what I've played, to progress your personal story or for any dynamic events. Also, give the game a try once you get the time to.hazabaza1 said:
Since I can't stop myself from picking fights this morning.skywolfblue said:
1) Nothing is so this statement is false since nothing can be a flawless gem.
2) It doesn't need to topple WoW, just bring down its subscriber numbers low enough to where it becomes un-profitable, you know, like every other MMO has been doing for the past decade.
3) For the MMO genre it very much is in its category. And the category is MMORPG, at least that is what we can assume, since they themselves have just called it a game for a while. Its one of the very few non-hotkey based MMORPG's to come out in a while and it actually suceeds in this.
Have at thy good sir.
What would differentiate the "Guardian" or "Warrior" from the "Black Knight"? I could actually see a Black Knight as working as a third take on a Heavy-Armor character. And your analogy is wrong, because Bards weren't "Jacks of all trades" - they were buffer/support.Aprilgold said:
2. It doesn't even need to kill WoW. It just needs to stand on its own.
3. Actually, I believe it is hotkey-based, unless you have information I don't. The difference is in how it USES those mechanics.
In 3.5 bards could do several things. Such as be essentially a make-shift rouge if done right. They could also be a replacement for a mage if one was not present, however if a mage walks into the room they won't be able to get much done. Bards are essentially a jack-of-all-trades because they can do several things that other classes can do and do it as a substitute. Essentially, they can move silently and hide like a Rouge, while being able to read magic and use magic items like a Mage. I can't remember, but I'm sure theres a way to make a Bard that can tank. Their not only support / buff, they are a substitute for other classes when their not present.Scow2 said:
Also, 2 is correct and I agree with it whole-heartedly. And number 3 I was referring to "Hot Key Based" as the term used to describe MMO's that literally require you to map so many different skills to keys or have multiple Hot-Bars available to click on. Fun Fact is that World of Warcraft has more skills then the number of possible keys on a keyboard. Guild Wars 2 doesn't require to overload your Key Board with hotkeys, since the only real hotbar your going to be using is the top 1-0 bar.
The Asura and Sylvari are part of the game on launch, their starter cities just weren't finished yet for this beta weekend.Aprilgold said:
As for the OP's questions:
-The Tengu will most likely be the next playable race, judging from small hints they dropped in the dialogues you can have with some of the birdmen.
-The next expansion will most likely cover a new continent, and if they value continuity, it'll be Cantha (the Asian-style continent).
-AFAIK they won't add new classes because it would imbalance PvP. They might however add a couple of weapons.
-The Cash shop is purely for cosmetic items and XP boosts. None of the sold items directly make you stronger, and every item can be bought with ingame gold by trading it for Gems, the shop's currency.
Also
I'm going to give you all a little history lesson.
Back in 1999, a game called EverQuest was released. For the next five years, EQ defined MMOs: they revolved heavily around grouping with other players, with whom you would find a spot on the map, park yourself down, and bring enemy after enemy into camp, slaughtering them all one by one for experience. Then you would move on to the next zone. A number of EQ-clones appeared, some of which even surpassed EQ's subscriber numbers, but the next stage in MMO evolution didn't come along until...
2004, when World of Warcraft was released. Before WoW, people had really liked the idea of creating your own character and spending time in a persistent world populated with hundreds of thousands of other people, including your friends. But to really make MMOs appealing to a wider audience, Blizzard knew they'd have to make a lot of changes to the core formula. For one thing, why should MMOs be so punishing? Why not make them more casual- and solo-friendly? For another, while grinding away at endless mobs is popular with some people, most gamers prefer the idea of playing a game for fun. WoW introduced the concept of questing as the sole form of leveling.
This model has been working for eight years now. WoW topped out at over 12 million subscribers, while previous MMOs only made it to about 500,000 (which was, for a time, considered to be the "cap"). Like EQ before it, WoW saw many copycats trying to capitalize on its success. Also like EQ, it defined its generation.
Now, people have known for quite a while that MMOs will continue to evolve, like everything else does, but most companies haven't had the time or resources to make the first new game of the next generation of MMOs. We've seen MMO after MMO launch without all the features the developers promised, and sometimes without even enough content to be considered remotely playable.
Enter ArenaNet, developers of Guild Wars 2.
NCsoft, their publisher, has given them basically as much time and money as they need to complete GW2 to their own satisfaction. ArenaNet has proven, over and over, that if they don't like how something in GW2 is working, they will examine it and either redo it or remove it entirely. They aren't tied down to a "vision" of making their game a certain way; in fact, they remind their employees that they should definitely feel free to share any ideas they might have, but not get too attached to them. They simply want to make the best MMO they possibly can.
I do believe that GW2 will be the next stage in MMO evolution. It does away with most of the problems people have had with MMOs: the subscription fee, the fact that you tend to basically solo through the game and hate every other player you meet, the fact that combat is static and boring and revolves more around gear and a predetermined role than skill and adapting to the situation at hand, and the fact that in order to complete anything you need to have a balanced group consisting of tank, healer, and DPS, among many other problems.
ArenaNet, like Blizzard, has examined MMOs with a critical eye and figured out what's popular about them and what holds them back from being even more popular, and they have made every effort to correct the problems they see.
EQ was not perfect, WoW was not perfect, and GW2 will not be perfect. But it will breathe new life into the MMO genre and provide years of entertainment for millions of players, and I expect it will enjoy a successful run until the next MMO comes along to challenge the genre, after which point GW2 will continue to run quietly in the background.
As a final note, it's also important to note that GW2 will not "kill" WoW in the same way that WoW did not "kill" EQ. (EQ's 18th expansion came out late last year, in fact.)
Back in 1999, a game called EverQuest was released. For the next five years, EQ defined MMOs: they revolved heavily around grouping with other players, with whom you would find a spot on the map, park yourself down, and bring enemy after enemy into camp, slaughtering them all one by one for experience. Then you would move on to the next zone. A number of EQ-clones appeared, some of which even surpassed EQ's subscriber numbers, but the next stage in MMO evolution didn't come along until...
2004, when World of Warcraft was released. Before WoW, people had really liked the idea of creating your own character and spending time in a persistent world populated with hundreds of thousands of other people, including your friends. But to really make MMOs appealing to a wider audience, Blizzard knew they'd have to make a lot of changes to the core formula. For one thing, why should MMOs be so punishing? Why not make them more casual- and solo-friendly? For another, while grinding away at endless mobs is popular with some people, most gamers prefer the idea of playing a game for fun. WoW introduced the concept of questing as the sole form of leveling.
This model has been working for eight years now. WoW topped out at over 12 million subscribers, while previous MMOs only made it to about 500,000 (which was, for a time, considered to be the "cap"). Like EQ before it, WoW saw many copycats trying to capitalize on its success. Also like EQ, it defined its generation.
Now, people have known for quite a while that MMOs will continue to evolve, like everything else does, but most companies haven't had the time or resources to make the first new game of the next generation of MMOs. We've seen MMO after MMO launch without all the features the developers promised, and sometimes without even enough content to be considered remotely playable.
Enter ArenaNet, developers of Guild Wars 2.
NCsoft, their publisher, has given them basically as much time and money as they need to complete GW2 to their own satisfaction. ArenaNet has proven, over and over, that if they don't like how something in GW2 is working, they will examine it and either redo it or remove it entirely. They aren't tied down to a "vision" of making their game a certain way; in fact, they remind their employees that they should definitely feel free to share any ideas they might have, but not get too attached to them. They simply want to make the best MMO they possibly can.
I do believe that GW2 will be the next stage in MMO evolution. It does away with most of the problems people have had with MMOs: the subscription fee, the fact that you tend to basically solo through the game and hate every other player you meet, the fact that combat is static and boring and revolves more around gear and a predetermined role than skill and adapting to the situation at hand, and the fact that in order to complete anything you need to have a balanced group consisting of tank, healer, and DPS, among many other problems.
ArenaNet, like Blizzard, has examined MMOs with a critical eye and figured out what's popular about them and what holds them back from being even more popular, and they have made every effort to correct the problems they see.
EQ was not perfect, WoW was not perfect, and GW2 will not be perfect. But it will breathe new life into the MMO genre and provide years of entertainment for millions of players, and I expect it will enjoy a successful run until the next MMO comes along to challenge the genre, after which point GW2 will continue to run quietly in the background.
As a final note, it's also important to note that GW2 will not "kill" WoW in the same way that WoW did not "kill" EQ. (EQ's 18th expansion came out late last year, in fact.)
There are a lot of things people might not like about GW2, but it being basically the same thing as GW1 is not one of them. Honestly, the only things it kept from GW1 are the lore and the lack of subscription fees. Everything else (including the way the professions all work) is completely different.Saviordd1 said:
Trust me, I disliked GW1 but loved what I played of GW2.
I see the first new content being more Tyria rather than Cantha/Elona - There's still the Dominion of Winds (the tengu city located where Sanctum Cay used to be), the northern shiverpeaks (where the Norn once were), the Crystal Desert, and the Ring of Fire.
I'd imagine there to be more free expanded content - like Sorrow's Furnace in GW1, due to the gem store providing an alternate revenue stream. They've mentioned that they will continue to add new dynamic events to existing areas (and not tell anyone when they do), so it's not a big jump to imagine new areas as well; and thanks to downscaling, they can add more content throughout the levels without worrying about everyone being too strong for it.
In terms of population, there's no way it'll begin with the same vast influx of people that SW:TOR had, but it will stay stable. Of course, unlike subscription MMOs, they won't be able to track numbers as easily. I also think there will be a larger number of people that play only casually, so that the numbers will keep steady.
I'd imagine there to be more free expanded content - like Sorrow's Furnace in GW1, due to the gem store providing an alternate revenue stream. They've mentioned that they will continue to add new dynamic events to existing areas (and not tell anyone when they do), so it's not a big jump to imagine new areas as well; and thanks to downscaling, they can add more content throughout the levels without worrying about everyone being too strong for it.
In terms of population, there's no way it'll begin with the same vast influx of people that SW:TOR had, but it will stay stable. Of course, unlike subscription MMOs, they won't be able to track numbers as easily. I also think there will be a larger number of people that play only casually, so that the numbers will keep steady.
