Curse

Str0b0 · May 05, 2006, 07:29 PM // 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mimi Miyagi

The customer base isn't helping either. They go absolutely apeshit over idiotic toys, spending 100s of platinum for vanity items, when items that actually HELP you play the game better are worth almost nothing, with very few exceptions. The game is barbie fashion designer.

So they are spending all that gold on worthless mods? You better check again. Sure they pay more for the skin but the items they buy are just as valuable statwise as any of the ugly collectors or crafters items. The two factors that conspire to make an item worthwhile are stats and looks. I could have an awesome gold zealous sword of fortitude req 8 with 15% unconditional damage and if it isn't a rare skin it's worth maybe half of what it would be. By that same token I can have a max damage Fellblade that has a 15% hexed mod on it armor +5 and a fiery hilt and the same holds true.

Markaedw · May 05, 2006, 07:32 PM // 19:32

If they want me to PvP make it part of the story. Ok, but frankly I don't know what the big deal is, you fight you win or you lose, you go to HoH and win. Then what, go to disney land?

Allmightybob · May 05, 2006, 07:33 PM // 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mimi Miyagi

It can take 10-15 minutes to even enter the mission, as the countdown timer just sits there and recycles over and over - all to gain what, 500 faction on average? Fort Aspenwood is even worse - random 8v8? RA was bad enough in Chapter 1, hey, here's an idea, let's make it 100% more lame by doubling the team size. Apparently everyone feels the same way because Ft Aspenwood is a ghost town.

How could you possibly expect Fort Aspenwood to be populated when the majority of the population is still leveling and completing missions?

beanerman_99 · May 05, 2006, 07:37 PM // 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allmightybob

How could you possiblely expect this place to be full when the majority of the population is still leveling and missions?

I said the same thing in someone else's thread about these 2 places being empty. Not all of us burn thru the game in a day and then complain the towns are empty and no ones playing the game. LOL What the heck do they expect?!?

Mimi Miyagi · May 05, 2006, 07:39 PM // 19:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theos

How can you call my opinion incorrect? No one forced you to rush through the game in one day, I personally did get through it in one day but that was for my guild's behalf and not my own, and I still say the content per mission and zone is equal to that of Prophecies. I don't compare by numbers, which you seem to do, I compare by the feel I get for each and everything.

What exactly do you want quests to be? Everything that Prophecies had Factions has including some new things, I personally found helping those farmers a nice new twist... though I don't take the game as seriously apperantly. In a month from now if those challenge missions get boring by then, I will have spent a good 100+ hours doing them... you know thats well worth it so your point fails horribly, kthx.

You also state it as if SF and Tombs were there from the start, they weren't. Bringing them up is showing you are spoiled and nothing more; its all I WANT I WANT I I I I I.

Where did I state that SF and Tombs were in the game from the start?

And it took me 3 days, you did it in 1 - and you're saying there is just as much content? Even with discarding "numbers" which I don't understand why I would want to, after all, it's certainly more tangible than "feel") the fact you finished it in one day simply reinforces my point.

Removing running from the equation since Chapter 2 has nerfed it, you're telling me that you can complete the entire chapter one's missions from presearing to the death of the lich in Hell's precipice in a day? Three days? A week?

I'm pretty experienced in GW, I've finished the game with a total of eight different characters across two accounts, and even getting run in places, it typically, on average, took about a week of average playing time to finish the game, and that's trying to do it in a fairly fast manner. In Factions, it's not nearly as long, nor is it nearly as hard as Chapter one. In one of the later missions (where you're supposed to kill the portal guardians and fighting the four constructs), the game made such a big deal about having to have both the spear and the urn to defeat it - yet I simply grabbed the urn and seven other henches and finished it. I didn't need the spear. I didn't need help from a PUG or a guildmate. I even got expert bonus without even trying.

Even getting to level 20 is about 10x faster than chapter one (again, without the benefit of being run anywhere) and you don't have nearly the troubles of completing the two 15 attribute point quests (running all over the desert, completing multiple quests, getting to copperhammer mines, etc), or doing an infusion run, or any of the other things you need to do to get a "finished" character.

It just isn't there. And at least a lot of the side quests you had to do you gained something tangible, such as skills. You don't even get that in Factions except for a small handful at the start. No, you have to pay for the skills - all the side quests give you nothing but exp and skill points. ANet's way of building in a money sink into the economy.

Mimi Miyagi · May 05, 2006, 07:41 PM // 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allmightybob

How could you possibly expect Fort Aspenwood to be populated when the majority of the population is still leveling and missions?

That's wierd, House of Zu Helter is packed with people grinding out faction to get amber or boost their alliance standing - and Ft Apsenwood is about 5 minutes walk away. With henchies.

Ft Aspenwood is a ghost town for a reason. The random 8v8 sucks.

milias · May 05, 2006, 07:42 PM // 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordakai

The way the CEs are selling out, I think GW future is assured.

I believe the main reason why the CE is doing well is because people liked GW:P, not because the quality of Factions, per se. Indeed, how can you know how good a game is before even buying it? Hence, Factions is riding high because of the success of Prophecies. It now appears that a lot more people are unsatisfied with Factions. Let's see how well GW 3 does, and I for one will not be preordering it. I'm inclined to wait and see what it's like first from forums like this one, before I make the decision or buy or not.

Keeper of Birds · May 05, 2006, 07:43 PM // 19:43

If the question is are we getting the same value for the $50 we spend on Factions that we did for the $50 we spent on Prophecies, I would say that we aren't. But, we are still getting a tremendous value. Consider what else I might do with that $50...a 5-hour round of golf...a day of skiing...2 books that take me 12 hours to read...dinner for 1 at a nice place...a tank of gas

...1200 hours of GW for ch 1. I'm feeling like that was money well spent.

Loviatar · May 05, 2006, 07:43 PM // 19:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanerman_99

I said the same thing in someone else's thread about these 2 places being empty. Not all of us burn thru the game in a day and then complain the towns are empty and no ones playing the game. LOL What the heck do they expect?!?

i fondly recall the whines of the uber elitest power players from day 2 of GW.

i am at the end of the game and there are only a few people here in district 1. THERE IS NOBODY HERE TO PLAY WITH THIS GAME SUCKS

i was in presear enjoying the scenery

chaos of the elemen · May 05, 2006, 07:45 PM // 19:45

/signed :-/

Mayh3m · May 05, 2006, 07:49 PM // 19:49

Faction is a really good game yes theres some problemes but we will learn to deal with it. And I think for 50 buck its worth it cuz there a all new story line new armor weapons monster and farming places. Cuz after 1 years of Gw proh i think ppl would get bored and just start quitting. So in fact with faction ppl will get back to GW and play more and more!

Mimi Miyagi · May 05, 2006, 07:49 PM // 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Str0b0

So they are spending all that gold on worthless mods? You better check again. Sure they pay more for the skin but the items they buy are just as valuable statwise as any of the ugly collectors or crafters items. The two factors that conspire to make an item worthwhile are stats and looks. I could have an awesome gold zealous sword of fortitude req 8 with 15% unconditional damage and if it isn't a rare skin it's worth maybe half of what it would be. By that same token I can have a max damage Fellblade that has a 15% hexed mod on it armor +5 and a fiery hilt and the same holds true.

No, they are spending all of their gold on vanity items. But of course, this has been going on since day one for chapter one.

"Perfect" green items are worth nothing, Crystaline swords with lesser mods are worth 100s of plat.

Put the same mods on two different swords, one a simple long sword, the other a fell blade, and you tell me which one is "worth" more.

Barbie fashion show.

And the sudden explosion of frenzied buying for "toys", paying 100k (or more) is ridiculous.

Want to make a million gold? Spend 80 bucks on the collector's edition, and sell your "gift" when it arrives. Just wait and see.

Pokemon.

Omni Spirit · May 05, 2006, 07:54 PM // 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by UndeadRoadkill

I was disturbed by that quote someone posted in the now-closed elite mission thread, where one of the designers basically said, "we were surprised by how many people wanted to keep their PvE characters, so we're trying to nudge people towards PvP in the next chapter." (????)

Is this true...did an Anet designer say that, can someone confirm this?
I only PVE and if this is true, then they are isolating the majority of people that bought this game. If they do this, then they can definitely kiss any future chapters goodbye..

Huntmaster · May 05, 2006, 08:05 PM // 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mimi Miyagi

Already it costs over 1.7 MILLION Faction to "own" a town (House Zu Helter), and the game has been out a week.

Lets see, one alliance, ten guilds, 2Mil faction is NOT hard to make.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireKingX

Whining whining whining. That's all I ever see here.

But it's to be expected. Every new game has whiners

QFT.

All i've seen is bitch bitch bitch. Factions has been out what, a week?

To be honest, 'mimi,' all you've done here is start a flame war. A flame war that is everyone vs you. After reading the thread, completely unbiased, (havn't bought factions yet) it seems to me that you hate the game, and the community.

Don't want to waste all your money on gold sinks? Go play WoW. Personally, i like Barbie and Pokemon. Two of my favorite hobbies.

myword · May 05, 2006, 08:11 PM // 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huntmaster

Lets see, one alliance, ten guilds, 2Mil faction is NOT hard to make.

didn't you say you don't have Factions?

that's ok i know what you're going to say next

DoctorEvil · May 05, 2006, 08:16 PM // 20:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mimi Miyagi

I didn't need to rehash the cost differential between GW and WoW. That is not the point of my thread. I am comparing Chapter 1, chapter 2, and future installments, and how I forsee lack of sustainability because of the design limitations within GW itself. Of which you already noted and agreed with essentially.

Soooo...thanks for your input?

Upon re-reading my response I see I left out a paragraph

That "lack of sustanability because of design limitation" is a moot point if GW can find a way to appeal to a new audience. MtG had the same design limitations yet it is still alive today. Why is it?

The existing player base is not what's going to keep this game going. ANet needs a continual stream of new players to sustain this "business model". That means future expansions will be geared towards a new player base. So what does that mean to the existing player base? They are probably going to make content decisions that you do not like. Somebody in ANet marketing probably has a statistic that says "The Average Consumer who purchased Guild Wars (insert chapter here) quit playing after X months". From their standpoint we have a shelf life. They're assuming we'll quit playing at sometime in the future. With that in mind are you going to build your "business model" around that bunch of customers? Nope.

The future of GW will be in the hands of new customers. Like any corporate entity, the future of GW will be based on money, in this case amount of sales. I can hear the response now "That's my point, we're not buying Chapter 3 because of the poor quality of Chapter 2". That's already been factored in the equation by the bean counters. They're going to expect a certain amount of people who bought Chapter 1 or 2 not to buy Chapter 3.

The sustainability of GW will be more of a function of marketing than it will be of quality design. Don't get me wrong, there has to be some level of quality to a game because poor reviews lead to poor marketing and poor sales. But if you were to look at Factions as a new game, having never played Chapter One before it would probably rate pretty well. The problem with Factions is that we (existing players) are comparing it to Chapter One, which without a doubt it does not measure up well to (I'd argue that as an expansion it measures up better, but that's another discussion).

So that's where I disagree....I believe GW's sustainability will NOT be a function of design limitations, but will be a function of marketing to new players. All games have design limitations. Not all games end up being sustainable.

Huntmaster · May 05, 2006, 08:17 PM // 20:17

Seeing as i made over 30k faction in the FPE alone..

Guildies and friends agree.

It's ok, i know what you're going to say next.

Navaros · May 05, 2006, 08:21 PM // 20:21

In my view Chapter 3 and all future Chapters will continue to sell well because all they have to do is copy and paste the same content over and over again -like how they copied and pasted the PVP content and Fissure & UW from Chapter 1 into Factions - add a few new aesthetic changes to armor, weapons, and collectibles, and then they have pleased the vast majority of their customers who will love the "new" game despite all it's copy and pasted content.

felinette · May 05, 2006, 08:23 PM // 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoctorEvil

I believe GW's sustainability will NOT be a function of design limitations, but will be a function of marketing to new players.

Ah, yes, but how many new people will pick up a future chapter when current players of the game tell them not to bother or to wait until it's been out for a while, and they read forums about the last chapter that are more critical than not. Word of mouth can be a powerful thing among gamers. You want to appeal to new gamers, but at the same time, you certainly don't want to shaft your current ones.

Mustache Mayhem · May 05, 2006, 08:25 PM // 20:25

I think they did a good job on the mainland part of factions.. alot of detail in there and the mobs are decent towards the later part.. I like how they incorporated a falling roof in the arbor mission.. the thing that I can say was definitely rushed was the factions equivalent to pre-searing.. It's just rushed- and that's people's first impression when they jump into the game.. get to the market off that island and you'll see a pretty decent game