The Official Guild Wars 2 thread

I dont get all the talking about optimizations etc. and it being CPU bound.

Im sure the code could use some tidying up but MMOs have always and will always be CPU bound. No amount of optimizations are going to change that.
 
I dont get all the talking about optimizations etc. and it being CPU bound.

Im sure the code could use some tidying up but MMOs have always and will always be CPU bound. No amount of optimizations are going to change that.

While it is normal for them to be, gw2 seems moreso than others by a large amount currently. Anet has also confirmed gains are coming too.
 
I dont get all the talking about optimizations etc. and it being CPU bound.

Im sure the code could use some tidying up but MMOs have always and will always be CPU bound. No amount of optimizations are going to change that.

This is more than just being CPU bound. It NEEDS a lot of optimization.
 
I saw these questions in the reddit iama:

D4. What is the intent with game performance as it applies to multi-core processors (2, 4, 8 core etc)

As part of our performance improvements we plan to push more processing on to multiple cores. We're already utilizing multiple cores though!
-Peter

Can you talk a little about game optimization (like support for multi-core CPUs and newer DX11 GPUs) for GW2 and what your plans are?

This is something we'll be working on until release. You'll see improvements with each beta weekend.
The cold hard technical speak is: we need to fix the main CPU thread getting stalled on occlusion queries to the GPU; we need to fix driver compatibility issues; we'll continue offloading work to other threads.
~ MO

Hello guys:) Just a simple question, is the game running on more than 1 core this beta event? :) Thanks!

Yes!
-Peter

Will this beta recognize the GPU and more than 1 core of the CPU?

We still have work to do on performance but you should see improvements from BWE1.
-Peter

I wanted to bring back the feedback the developers said about hardware stuff because you guys keep arguing about it.
 
I wanted to bring back the feedback the developers said about hardware stuff because you guys keep arguing about it.

No one is really arguing over this. Everyone is basically saying the same thing and relating it to their experiences in game.
 
haven't read that but at this point all the gaming media will have moved on to bashing swtor so i wonder what they'll be comparing.
 
Yeah, I hope swtor can make some type of comback. Rift is still going strong though.
 
This past beta weekend was much better than the first and yet people act like they haven't improved anything or listened to complaints the testers had.

/mind boggled
 
This past beta weekend was much better than the first and yet people act like they haven't improved anything or listened to complaints the testers had.

/mind boggled

it's not about how much better it is than the competition, it's going to receive complaints no matter what. perfection and pleasing everyone are impossible.
 
Sorry, just wanted to bring clarity to the conversation. Wrong word choice on my part. Here is an article from Gamespy (I know, right?) which compares GW2 to SWTOR. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-2/1225122p1.html
The link is blocked here at work, but how can you honestly compare those two games? They're so different that I couldn't even think of where to begin when comparing these. Other than they are both MMOs and they have have "skills" to use, I really can't think of much they have in common.

This past beta weekend was much better than the first and yet people act like they haven't improved anything or listened to complaints the testers had.

/mind boggled
Not sure who was acting like they haven't improved anything, but clearly they would be flat-out wrong just based on the previous patch notes.

A couple of you are odd. It's like you're trying to get a rise out of people or get people arguing. It's funny though, because it seems like there's nothing to argue about, everyone is just looking forward to the game. :)
 
Sorry, just wanted to bring clarity to the conversation. Wrong word choice on my part. Here is an article from Gamespy (I know, right?) which compares GW2 to SWTOR. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-2/1225122p1.html

This is what stood out to me.

4. Guild Wars 2 Doesn't Have a Traditional Endgame

I know this probably counts a downside for some of my old raiding buddies, but, at least these days, I like the idea of there being something to my MMORPGs besides rushing to the level cap and participating in scheduled raids. That's ultimately the point of most traditional MMORPGs (unless they have a PvP structure that's good for something other than a diversion), and that's what made SWTOR run out of steam so quickly once most guilds had cleared the content. SWTOR still relies on an increasingly dated "hardcore" style that turns raiding into a job -- once you're done with your shift, all you want to do is leave and go home.


Also helps that you can be level 80 whenever you feel like it.

Instead, Guild Wars 2 is a casual game in the very best sense of the term. It does have a ridiculously high level cap for a new release (80), but much of what makes a traditional endgame (big bosses, giant PvP battles, hard dungeons) is wrapped up in the leveling experience itself. More than ever, the journey is more important than the destination. It's therefore not a raider's game like SWTOR or WoW, so such players probably won't find much reason to stick around, but it also means that people with limited time can enjoy Guild Wars 2 without feeling like they're missing out on much. I do think they'll need frequent content updates to keep that model sustainable, but I'm not that worried because...

Remember LoTRO? This didnt work so well for them. This is the biggest reason i still have not pre ordered. A game that focuses all content in the leveling process is doomed to failure.

Theres a reason MMOs focus content on the end game. Once everyones leveled you need something to keep them there.
 
This is what stood out to me.

Remember LoTRO? This didnt work so well for them. This is the biggest reason i still have not pre ordered. A game that focuses all content in the leveling process is doomed to failure.

Theres a reason MMOs focus content on the end game. Once everyones leveled you need something to keep them there.

I think you missed this part, "big bosses, giant PvP battles, hard dungeons". GW2 has an endgame, it just doesn't have raids. Obviously I can't comment on how much PvP, WvW, and those Dungeons (both Normal dungeons and Exploration) will have an effect on keeping your interest when you hit 80, but I can't imagine you'd be bored with those in a month or two at a few or several hours per day.

There is also this (I hope this link works, I'm at work and it's blocked so I cannot make sure), which shows you can level two characters all the way up until 80 without having to redo a single zone. Or three characters to 60. You get the idea. WoW had a little bit more freedom in this aspect but IIRC, ArenaNet's reasoning for this was to slowly merge storylines into one. Neat stuff IMO, and just adds to the replayability a bit.
 
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A game that focuses all content in the leveling process is doomed to failure.

Asheron's Call, DAoC, GW, EVE...actually let's flip it. the only mmo's that focus on endgame raiding and weren't failures were EverQuest and WoW(and you'd be hard pressed to say EQ focused on it in the same structured and streamlined way, as the leveling content was ROBUST beyond belief and raiding was not the point of the game).
 
DAoC had almost no PvE content, yet myself and many others played RvR for countless hours over many years. If GW2 can duplicate even a fraction of the RvR experience of DAoC, which it seems like it may have, it will be around for a long time with a healthy playerbase. Throw in a robust team oriented PvP system on top of that ala GW1, a very fun PvE system, and subsequent additions of content alongside no monthly fee...well...I think GW2 will do just fine.
 
This is what stood out to me.



Remember LoTRO? This didnt work so well for them. This is the biggest reason i still have not pre ordered. A game that focuses all content in the leveling process is doomed to failure.

Theres a reason MMOs focus content on the end game. Once everyones leveled you need something to keep them there.

Only WoW and EQ kiddies who need a game to justify their existence. Probably too harsh, but the those really are the only two who did end game raiding right. DAoC and LoTRO are two of my all time favorite MMO's and I spent more time in those than I ever did in either WoW or EQ. AC, UO, DAoC, LoTRO, were never about end game raiding, but all found better things to do than focus on rainbow bright flavored gear. Between World PvP, City Sieges, Uber Questlines, crafting, and exploration their generally was an endless amount of things to do that didn't require "an end game".
 
Old UO (98-2001'ish, before the Tram/felicua crap), Asherons call, and DAOC were about the only mmo's I've played where hitting the skill/lv cap didn't fell like "end game."

UO was a sandbox mmo with open world pvp, it was never about finding "uber gear" and they didnt even have "quests" in the game.

AC had pvp as well, but the thing it did, that still to this day baffles me why no other mmo does it on the scale of AC was their monthly updates. Every month there was an update that changed things, it could be releated to the overall storyline of the game (which constantly evolved) or even simple things like seasons changing. You'd login to the game and the updates made the world of AC fell truly "dynamic" from having a simple winter landscape that used to be spring, actually seeing snow start to fall (while the grass is still there and buildings/trees ar euncovered) then logging in later that evening and the same area was now deep covered in snow, all over the buildings/trees and everything. Then you had more story releated updates, like black "spires" that appeared over cities and strange "shadow creatures" that were new to the world.

DAOC on the other hand focused on the Realm vs Realm vs Realm, and actually showed that three sides are better then two (which WoW, Warhammer, and other games failed so hard at realizing). They also understood that having a goal that actually affected things was great and gave people a sense of accomplishment for pvp.
 
I'm actually really excited for GW2 because it feels more like a login and play game. I think it will be a great game for anyone that is burned out from raiding and wants to mess around in world pvp or structured pvp. If you want hardcore dungeons, then GW2 has some, but they are for five people instead of 20 or 40 or however many it is nowadays in WoW. The explorable mode in GW2 dungeons is tough and basically requires you to think about debuffs and plan your attacks/crowd control and pull mobs one at a time and if your gear isn't up to snuff, then it will be harder. At level 80, I have no idea though.

I just hate leveling for the sake of getting to the top level so I can finally experience the game. In GW2, it is fun from level 1. You can do every form pvp from level 1 and that is totally fine! I remember playing WoW for the first time when it came out and we didn't really know much about the end game. Molten Core wasn't on my mind when I played and it wasn't for a long time that the game started to revolve around raiding. That's what I want to return to - a world without raiding spreadsheets, dps calculators, loot dkp, boss timers and farming the raiding instances over and over. I'm glad it isn't a buffed up WoW- because if I wanted to play WoW, I would play WoW.
 
I think you missed this part, "big bosses, giant PvP battles, hard dungeons". GW2 has an endgame, it just doesn't have raids. Obviously I can't comment on how much PvP, WvW, and those Dungeons (both Normal dungeons and Exploration) will have an effect on keeping your interest when you hit 80, but I can't imagine you'd be bored with those in a month or two at a few or several hours per day.

There is also this (I hope this link works, I'm at work and it's blocked so I cannot make sure), which shows you can level two characters all the way up until 80 without having to redo a single zone. Or three characters to 60. You get the idea. WoW had a little bit more freedom in this aspect but IIRC, ArenaNet's reasoning for this was to slowly merge storylines into one. Neat stuff IMO, and just adds to the replayability a bit.

My whole problem is its like they said lets put in bosses, dungeons and PVP like every other game but leave out raiding and we will call it a "feature". When a developer leaves a staple feature out of a game and makes it one of the selling points i have to really wonder what they are thinking.

The leveling stuff is a cool idea but again its like "Hey since you dont have shit to do we made it more fun to grind out new characters".

I simply dont see how they can have a sustainable business model this way. Look at the actual successful MMOs and if you look close enough you realize its those raiders that stick around for the long haul and pay the bills not the casuals that drift in and out of the game which is basically what they set up for GW2.

Replayability in an MMO is almost a laughable concept. A grind is a grind and once you have done it once no matter how much they let you change the scenery its still just a fucking grind.

A game that focuses all content in the leveling process is doomed to failure.

Asheron's Call, DAoC, GW, EVE...actually let's flip it. the only mmo's that focus on endgame raiding and weren't failures were EverQuest and WoW(and you'd be hard pressed to say EQ focused on it in the same structured and streamlined way, as the leveling content was ROBUST beyond belief and raiding was not the point of the game).
\

EVE dont have leveling, AC and DAOC came from a time where there was nowhere near the scale of competition there is now and GW did well because of its sub free nature.

Raiding was always the point of EQ from day one. Im not sure what you are talking about but you must not have been playing the same game. EQ was always a gear grind game just like WoW is today.

If it where 1999 your points may hold some water but today its just bullshit plain and simple.

Only WoW and EQ kiddies who need a game to justify their existence. Probably too harsh, but the those really are the only two who did end game raiding right. DAoC and LoTRO are two of my all time favorite MMO's and I spent more time in those than I ever did in either WoW or EQ. AC, UO, DAoC, LoTRO, were never about end game raiding, but all found better things to do than focus on rainbow bright flavored gear. Between World PvP, City Sieges, Uber Questlines, crafting, and exploration their generally was an endless amount of things to do that didn't require "an end game".

Its not harsh its just stupid. Why does wanting a game with more to do than PVP or group up to kill a boss or dungeon make you a "kiddie that needs a game to justify their existence"?

Hate to break it to you folks but end game content makes or breaks an MMO and GW2 is seriously lacking. Honestly the only thing appealing about this game at this point is that theres no sub fee. That alone may make the game super successful.

Dont get me wrong though i WANT to be wrong about this. I WANT this game to knock my socks off but after playing MMOs for over 10 years and seeing so many promising launches fail to deliver im not expecting much.
 
Gw1 had no end game either. In fact the Max lvl was 20, and you could get to it in a day if you wanted to. That didn't stop gw1 from being successful.

One of the most interesting thing to do in gw1 was collecting elite skills, I hope we see some of that in gw2. Its way more interesting than farming gear imo
 
Cant wait for this game all of it sounds great Best part I wont be charged $15 a month!
 
My whole problem is its like they said lets put in bosses, dungeons and PVP like every other game but leave out raiding and we will call it a "feature". When a developer leaves a staple feature out of a game and makes it one of the selling points i have to really wonder what they are thinking.

The leveling stuff is a cool idea but again its like "Hey since you dont have shit to do we made it more fun to grind out new characters".

I simply dont see how they can have a sustainable business model this way. Look at the actual successful MMOs and if you look close enough you realize its those raiders that stick around for the long haul and pay the bills not the casuals that drift in and out of the game which is basically what they set up for GW2.

Replayability in an MMO is almost a laughable concept. A grind is a grind and once you have done it once no matter how much they let you change the scenery its still just a fucking grind.

\

EVE dont have leveling, AC and DAOC came from a time where there was nowhere near the scale of competition there is now and GW did well because of its sub free nature.

Raiding was always the point of EQ from day one. Im not sure what you are talking about but you must not have been playing the same game. EQ was always a gear grind game just like WoW is today.

If it where 1999 your points may hold some water but today its just bullshit plain and simple.



Its not harsh its just stupid. Why does wanting a game with more to do than PVP or group up to kill a boss or dungeon make you a "kiddie that needs a game to justify their existence"?

Hate to break it to you folks but end game content makes or breaks an MMO and GW2 is seriously lacking. Honestly the only thing appealing about this game at this point is that theres no sub fee. That alone may make the game super successful.

Dont get me wrong though i WANT to be wrong about this. I WANT this game to knock my socks off but after playing MMOs for over 10 years and seeing so many promising launches fail to deliver im not expecting much.

*makes full of shit post, exclaims you want the game*

bullshit posting 101, zzzzz. you're full of shit, and there's exactly two successful gear treadmill MMO's since 1999. two. not to say that success is guaranteed, but your reasoning is pretty stupid.
 
*makes full of shit post, exclaims you want the game*

bullshit posting 101, zzzzz. you're full of shit, and there's exactly two successful gear treadmill MMO's since 1999. two. not to say that success is guaranteed, but your reasoning is pretty stupid.

Agreed.
 
My whole problem is its like they said lets put in bosses, dungeons and PVP like every other game but leave out raiding and we will call it a "feature". When a developer leaves a staple feature out of a game and makes it one of the selling points i have to really wonder what they are thinking.

The leveling stuff is a cool idea but again its like "Hey since you dont have shit to do we made it more fun to grind out new characters".

I simply dont see how they can have a sustainable business model this way. Look at the actual successful MMOs and if you look close enough you realize its those raiders that stick around for the long haul and pay the bills not the casuals that drift in and out of the game which is basically what they set up for GW2.

Replayability in an MMO is almost a laughable concept. A grind is a grind and once you have done it once no matter how much they let you change the scenery its still just a fucking grind.

\

EVE dont have leveling, AC and DAOC came from a time where there was nowhere near the scale of competition there is now and GW did well because of its sub free nature.

Raiding was always the point of EQ from day one. Im not sure what you are talking about but you must not have been playing the same game. EQ was always a gear grind game just like WoW is today.

If it where 1999 your points may hold some water but today its just bullshit plain and simple.



Its not harsh its just stupid. Why does wanting a game with more to do than PVP or group up to kill a boss or dungeon make you a "kiddie that needs a game to justify their existence"?

Hate to break it to you folks but end game content makes or breaks an MMO and GW2 is seriously lacking. Honestly the only thing appealing about this game at this point is that theres no sub fee. That alone may make the game super successful.

Dont get me wrong though i WANT to be wrong about this. I WANT this game to knock my socks off but after playing MMOs for over 10 years and seeing so many promising launches fail to deliver im not expecting much.


I'm sorry to tell ya but GW wasn't such a success simply because it was "free". There is a TON of stuff to do in GW much the same as there will be a ton of stuff to do in GW2. Collecting certain items/armor/weapons, grinding factions, titles, skills, etc. There is an end-game just not the same type of end-game that has been done a 100 times over. End-game doesn't HAVE to be go and kill this boss with 30 random people, to open up this boss who drops this piece of gear for you, once a week, for 30 weeks. GW2, from the beginning, was about straying from the beaten path. I for one am glad they are doing just that.
 
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For those of you that were around in the vanilla EQ era, I don't even see how you can justify raiding anymore. I was 15 then and I had no problem spending countless hours organizing a raid, doing hour long CRs after wiping 2-3 times, etc. Fast forward to 2012, I do not have the time nor the patience for this kind of end game experience anymore. GW2 is the perfect game where you can jump right in and automatically join in some PvE events or PvP with your friends without having to worry about spending 500 hours to get a couple pieces of armor so you stand a chance in a fight. It seems to have a great balance of casual play while retaining some qualities that will keep more hardcore players around. And lets face it, there's not a whole lot else on the horizon that looks promising in this genre right now. I think GW2 is going to launch at a perfect time to allow it to be very successful. And at the end of the day the purchase is EASILY justifiable by just about every person considering we won't be paying a monthly subscription fee. That means if you are someone who gets bored easily, you can keep another sub game open and play them simaltaneously without having to manage multiple subscription games at the same time. There are really very few reasons to NOT buy this game. I am excited for it and I can't wait to see what ANet does with the game. Their model seems to be pretty solid, with transactional purchases that make sense from a profitability standpoint, without ruining the game for players who do not want to participate. I think this will generate plenty of money that they aren't capturing from subs, which will allow them to hopefully have timely content updates keeping it's playerbase happy.
 
there's no working MMO formula, or Rift with an exceptionally dedicated and hard working, fan pleasing dev team would be catching up to WoW right now. it's an oh so necessary WoW type endgame with much better post launch support, better graphics and launched in such a stable and polished state that it's comparable to WoW right now. plummeted to 200k subs and dropping though. if they blew a huge wad of cash like bioware, it'd have gone F2P six months ago but the financials panned out well for them.
 
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The awesome thing about GW2 is that because of leveling scaling all content doesn't have to be "end game" content. I see with so many MMOs that once the playerbase starts to shift toward end levels all new content that gets introduced is max level content. And while that might be great for the max level players, if you're new, or rerolling, it means most of the exciting new content in the game is unavailable to you. But they don't have to take that approach with GW2. They could introduce a level 15 dungeon that's tuned for level 15 players for story mode but difficult enough to challenge scaled level 80 players in exploration mode. And since gear stats won't be the driving force behind dungeon raiding, if it has new/interesting looking loot the content won't be irrelevant to high level players. Of course, they might not do something like that, but once I get to 80 I'd love to go back to earlier zones and still find challenges (and it seems like it would be the most efficient way for them to use their resources to satisfy the largest number of players).
 
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The awesome thing about GW2 is that because of leveling scaling all content doesn't have to be "end game" content. I see with so many MMOs that once the playerbase starts to shift toward end levels all new content that gets introduced is max level content. And while that might be great for the max level players, if you're new, or rerolling, it means most of the exciting new content in the game is unavailable to you. But they don't have to take that approach with GW2. They could introduce a level 15 dungeon that's tuned for level 15 players for story mode but difficult enough to challenge scaled level 80 players in exploration mode. And since gear stats won't be the driving force behind dungeon raiding, if it has new/interesting looking loot the content won't be irrelevant to high level players. Of course, they might not do something like that, but once I get to 80 I'd love to go back to earlier zones and still find challenges (and it seems like it would be the most efficient way for them to use their resources to satisfy the largest number of players).

sounds like the plan.

“We have a live team of designers and artists and gameplay programmers who are going to be flying over the game constantly, dropping content everywhere” Johanson says. “Our goal is that every time you make a new character, you might go back through a map that you played six months ago and you’re going to find completely different content.” New content, he says, will be spread across the whole game rather than concentrated in specific areas. As this happens, the events already in place will be altered to accommodate it.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/04/28/g...t-and-getting-the-community-to-play-together/

also, new blog post: http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success
 
The awesome thing about GW2 is that because of leveling scaling all content doesn't have to be "end game" content. I see with so many MMOs that once the playerbase starts to shift toward end levels all new content that gets introduced is max level content. And while that might be great for the max level players, if you're new, or rerolling, it means most of the exciting new content in the game is unavailable to you. But they don't have to take that approach with GW2. They could introduce a level 15 dungeon that's tuned for level 15 players for story mode but difficult enough to challenge scaled level 80 players in exploration mode. And since gear stats won't be the driving force behind dungeon raiding, if it has new/interesting looking loot the content won't be irrelevant to high level players. Of course, they might not do something like that, but once I get to 80 I'd love to go back to earlier zones and still find challenges (and it seems like it would be the most efficient way for them to use their resources to satisfy the largest number of players).

Hopefully there will be small to marginal upgrades awarded, or at least different stat allocation on these loots, else it sounds as boring as achievement chasing.
 
*makes full of shit post, exclaims you want the game*

bullshit posting 101, zzzzz. you're full of shit, and there's exactly two successful gear treadmill MMO's since 1999. two. not to say that success is guaranteed, but your reasoning is pretty stupid.

Really? Lets take a look at those "only 2" :rolleyes:

EQ - Most successful MMO pre 2004
WoW - Most successful MMO of all time has 10 mil+ subs and is the envy of the entire gaming industry.

So its real easy to twist reality in defense of this game to say "There have only been 2 successful gear grind MMOs" but the reality is when their success overshadows the entire fucking industry your point is just braindead stupid. :rolleyes:

LOL only 2... One of which just makes up 3/4 of the fucking MMO playerbase. :rolleyes:

So sick of this fanboy mentality on this forum, seriously people grow the fuck up. Any time someone says something even remotely negative about an up and coming game he is jumped on by packs of ravenous fanboys.

My point is simple, 2 things destroy an MMO in this day and age.

1. Worse than normal launches that take too long to sort out (VG comes to mind)
2. Lacking end game content

Take a step back and look at all the releases in the last few years. Of those RIFT is the only one doing even remotely well. It launched with a decent end game and has gotten regular content updates etc. and guess what.... Gear treadmill.
 
My point is simple, 2 things destroy an MMO in this day and age.

1. Worse than normal launches that take too long to sort out (VG comes to mind)
2. Lacking end game content

Take a step back and look at all the releases in the last few years. Of those RIFT is the only one doing even remotely well. It launched with a decent end game and has gotten regular content updates etc. and guess what.... Gear treadmill.

I think you missed one

3. Stale WoW-clone with a spin gameplay that results in mass exodus after initial free 30 day playtime (i.e., RIFT)
 
Really? Lets take a look at those "only 2" :rolleyes:

EQ - Most successful MMO pre 2004
WoW - Most successful MMO of all time has 10 mil+ subs and is the envy of the entire gaming industry.

So its real easy to twist reality in defense of this game to say "There have only been 2 successful gear grind MMOs" but the reality is when their success overshadows the entire fucking industry your point is just braindead stupid. :rolleyes:

LOL only 2... One of which just makes up 3/4 of the fucking MMO playerbase. :rolleyes:

So sick of this fanboy mentality on this forum, seriously people grow the fuck up. Any time someone says something even remotely negative about an up and coming game he is jumped on by packs of ravenous fanboys.

My point is simple, 2 things destroy an MMO in this day and age.

1. Worse than normal launches that take too long to sort out (VG comes to mind)
2. Lacking end game content

Take a step back and look at all the releases in the last few years. Of those RIFT is the only one doing even remotely well. It launched with a decent end game and has gotten regular content updates etc. and guess what.... Gear treadmill.


Your theory is terrific. Except for they are all based on subscription based models. This is free to play. Theory does not apply.
 
Your theory is terrific. Except for they are all based on subscription based models. This is free to play. Theory does not apply.

That's really the point. Subscription games need you to grind and continually play end game content so you will continue to pay every month.

I never enjoyed WoW or EQ so I can't make a direct comparison, but long after GW1 reached it's current iteration (3 games plus Eye of the North) it had, in my opinion, plenty of things to do.

The Underworld dungeon originally took 8 people about 2 hours to complete, but some creative players devised ways to speed run it and got the times down to consistently under 15 minutes (as long as nobody screwed up). The rewards for completing were great and you could do several runs per night if you had a good group - it was high risk and high reward and required near perfect execution from 8 people, but that was some of the most fun I've ever had.

Over time, Arena tweaked the meta game the techniques had to evolve but if you wanted to become really wealthy, this was one of the best ways.

There were other things to do and regular events, but I strongly suspect that Arena will continually add new end game content - especially as the population of the game matures and levels up.

In my mind, GW is a very different kind of game than WoW and EQ - I never enjoyed those games and it seems people tend to be polarized towards strongly preferring one style or another.

Tyria is a big place and I think we will see a lot more content in the years to come.
 
That's really the point. Subscription games need you to grind and continually play end game content so you will continue to pay every month.

I never enjoyed WoW or EQ so I can't make a direct comparison, but long after GW1 reached it's current iteration (3 games plus Eye of the North) it had, in my opinion, plenty of things to do.

The Underworld dungeon originally took 8 people about 2 hours to complete, but some creative players devised ways to speed run it and got the times down to consistently under 15 minutes (as long as nobody screwed up). The rewards for completing were great and you could do several runs per night if you had a good group - it was high risk and high reward and required near perfect execution from 8 people, but that was some of the most fun I've ever had.

Over time, Arena tweaked the meta game the techniques had to evolve but if you wanted to become really wealthy, this was one of the best ways.

There were other things to do and regular events, but I strongly suspect that Arena will continually add new end game content - especially as the population of the game matures and levels up.

In my mind, GW is a very different kind of game than WoW and EQ - I never enjoyed those games and it seems people tend to be polarized towards strongly preferring one style or another.

Tyria is a big place and I think we will see a lot more content in the years to come.

I raided a lot in WOW BC and I also put in nearly 2000 hours in GW1.

The "content" in GW1 was distinctly different than the tiered raiding end game system that WOW had. I agree, there was plenty to do in GW1. The difference was that no one really had to do any of it. It did feel somewhat shallow that the real reward for running a tough dungeon like UW or FoW was aesthetic armor - but people did it anyway. Simultaneously it made those dungeons completely optional (players who didn't want to invest in it or were in a region without favor of the gods weren't penalized for it). I think GW2 tried to make PvE content more 'rewarding' while sticking with the idea that you should be rewarded for running what you want rather than repeatedly doing one instance over and over. I.E. the Karma vendors are largely the PvE reward vendors and you get Karma for doing a variety of things.

Disposed is simply ranting about something that most people take to be true - yes a MMO launch has to be stable and yes there needs to be content... but I'm not really sure what his driving point is. He's trying to say GW2 has to mimic WOW's raid content system yet GW2 has a great and successful system to build off of ... namely GW1. Seems like he's regurgitating stuff without understanding what's going on.
 
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