Getting the Hall of Monuments ready for GW2.

No it is not going to be very rewarding.

If it is very rewarding then they just ostracized all potential customers that don't already own GW1. It should be obvious that this is a poor marketing strategy.

Awww, feeling left out?

Sadly, fact is that everything in GW these days, leads up to GW2. Hell, the entire EotN expansion was made as a crossover to GW2 0.0

Besides: Even if the updates are mainly GW2 related, don't you get the content in GW? For example: War in Kryta. The new quests, weapons, miniatures, enemies and so on are all made as a crossover to GW2, however isn't the update for GW? Why are you complaining? You get new content, while people who wanna go to GW2 gets added to the excitement. Everybody wins! 0.0

I personally think that these ideas are great, especially the weapon adds and bookshelves. Bookshelves would make it more personal, while new weapons would make it more lorerelated and such.

You're comparing legitimate content with features that are mainly cosmetic. While even people who weren't interested in PvE can experience EotN and WiK at their leisure, the Hall of Monuments is not the same - it caters primarily to the PvE sector, so we're now looking at a cosmetic feature that not everyone can benefit from.

While I intend to finish my HoM and play GW2, I believe the team should be spending their time on real content or updates before looking into cosmetics, especially those whose purpose is already served by an existing feature.

Edit: I'm honestly hoping that the HoM doesn't do anything but look shiny in GW2. There's too much potential for drama otherwise, and I'd hate for the sequel to suffer b/c the first threw a few bones to keep people in.

Its not a poor marketing strategy its become a standard marketing strategy.

Usually it comes down to buy this special edition and get something extra.
Often its simply some equipment that is unique to that edition of the game.
Its seldom much better than starting equipment generally available to players.

Giving a small reward to gw1 players some of whom have influenced the development of GW isn't that big a deal, its simply taking it to the next level.
If it works as a marketing strategy we will see more of it if not they will abandon the idea in future games.

I like your edit, because I feel the same way about that.

But otherwise, I think your argument that it's purely cosmetic is lacking. The cosmetics are also a viable part of the content, for example titles, that keeps many players interessted in doing certain things like skill hunting. Then there's Minipets, rare weapons and so on that serves its purpose only as a cosmetic feature as well, even though it has no actual impact on story or character development, yet keep the market fresh and certain areas replayable (Notice how next to noone plays Urgoz, while everyone plays UW. Reason number 1: Cosmetics)

And when you say it's catered to PvE primarily, meaning not everyone can benefit. Now I don't play a lot of PvP, but how exactly do PvP'ers benefit from WiK?

Besides even if I was to agree with you I would still like some HoM changes. You could always make them so they are quest-related or something, making it what you call "legitimate content".

You buy weapons, minis, armors, and titles: boom, your wealth has been transferred from GW1 to GW2. What I mean is, you can flaunt your GW1 wealth in GW2 through these things. Stored armors are not achievements, they're displays of wealth.

Although since wealth don't just happen, it is an achievement by itself... Of course you can argue that the bastards who get a perfect Eternal Blade or a green bday mini are just lucky, but even with that there's: Getting to the area (and winning), and being able to trade it off, and with the mini there's having the character for the required amount of years. Hell, some people call luck itself an achievement, although I personally find luck to be the black sheep of capitalism, seeing as it's the main point of envy

I should have clarified that my chief issue with the OP's idea is more that it's additional cosmetics to serve a purpose which HoM already serves. Things like new rare weapon skins can be neat, but I'd rather not have development time lost to HoM stuff - that place doesn't need to be made more important, and I really worry about what we could screw up in GW2 if we start begging for handouts in there.

With WiK, it's a chain of events that you can choose to do whenever. While many things for HoM require lots of time in grinding/farming (titles & armor sets, though the second can arguably be funded from PvP), I lump WiK with EotN or an expansion pack because it's grab-and-go.

Quest-related HoM stuff I'd be fine with community-wise. While such quests could take large time investments, they would likely be doable from square one in a day or two if someone wanted them, so anyone motivated could have access.

To clarify two things...

1) There is absolutely no rush on this suggestion. Priority should go to things that are actually important for the game, and this is merely a "in the unlikely circumstances that you find yourself not busy, you might want to consider this before GW2 comes out."

2) I don't give a damn about physical items from the Hall showing up in GW2. The weapons don't need to be removable from their stands, the miniatures don't need to get up and walk into our Xunlai accounts, any of it. I just want the Hall to not look pathetic when I finally see it in the next game (the garbage dump that is the Valor monument in particular). I'd much rather it be a place of tranquil nostalgia, a way of looking back at a game we've all enjoyed, then a generic set of unlocked items that merely serve to engorge the e-peen.

BINGO! The HoM got the problem that it's not personal. I'm still extremely pissed over the valor thingy, seeing as it doesn't show what kinda weaponry your ancestors used.

lol. just no. GW2 should have VERY little to do with Gw1. I would rather Anet focus on getting GW2 done with!

Except the lore and what's actually inside of the HoM All I want it to be, is a gallery, reflecting the same statues, minis and such from GW1... which is reason number 1 why I want a better weaponry... seriously don't you agree that comming in and seeing only destroyer weapons, which your character never used, but just got for that thing, is unpersonal? I personally would like to show my sins Shiro's Daggers, my warriors IDS and Exalted Aegis, my rangers Ironwing Flatbow, my casters different staves, wands and foci... Not some ridiculous melted piece o' rock >.<

I think ANet thought "Hey we might be able to boost GW1 sales with releasing information on GW2 and saying 'playing GW1 you get more haxx in GW2.'" They should of thought their marketing through made another expansion before marketing GW2 because users like content.
Don't give me the bullshit that WoW only gets content because people pay for it half their content is bullshi anyways.

On topic: Dont worry you have plenty of time to finish your hall. Well at least till 2012. LOL.

Anet is going to have people working on guild wars 1. This is a suggestion of what they could work on. All the people saying no don't do anything finish guild wars 2 are starting to annoy me, do you really think they would pull resources away from guild wars 2 to implement something like this? No they would have the people already working on guild wars do it.

And obviously I know its not gonna happen but some of the ideas are good.

Nice ideas, but I can't imagine they'll ever happen - if such things ever rose to the top of the priority list... I think the live team would actually be disbanded and moved to GW2 development!

I mean, who would really appreciate such changes anyway? Personally, it's extremely rare I visit my own HoM, and I've never visited anyone else's HoM. My only interest in HoM is to see what shiney-but-inconsequential baubles appear in GW2 for it.

If they changed something I'd maybe go take a look... but GW2 could be out before the next visit.

Actually I think all of these are awesome ideas, but I don't see adding weapons bought with real world money instead of earning them.
I do believe we should be able to display anything we earned ingame so that we can show some kind of achievements other than what's presently available.
But playing all the special missions and books etc. I believe they should be displayed because some of those missions and quests are pretty hard.
So I say yes to all except the bought weapons.

Not really interested in more additional objects-achievements for HoM. Although I have thought 'well if you can put one common pet, why not your pick of ONE common customized weapon or favorite green.' BUT Like others said, I wouldn't want time devoted to additional HoM that would slow the developement and release of the game itself.

For the 'bookshelf' thing... it made me think about the home instance we will have in GW2 and that might be a neat thing to have in your home.. as you achieve chapters in GW2 a book fills the bookcase. Click to "read" achievements" kind of thing. but maybe they have that already maybe not. I wont be heart broken. But HoM info probably will be released soon enough.

From all the latest information released. I'd say anet is doing a pretty darn good job. and I can wait to toss some water on some plants and have a water fight or two.

Just a quickie question. Having played for many years I have lots of heroes, pets and titles etc etc, but I've only decided to start adding to hall of monuments in preparation for GW2.

Many of the monuments are now full, but I have one question.

Will GW2 reward you for having more elite things displayed, or will it reward you the same regardless, as long as you have a full monument?

For example, if you had Vekk and Ogden displayed, would your rewards be worse than a player showing...say...Razah - because he's harder to obtain?

And would the rewards be the same for the title statue/monument, as long as it's full? Or would you be better off displaying harder to earn titles for better rewards?

We don't know yet. Waiting for proclaims soon.

Ok thanks. From wiki:

That means you can add more than the required amount (example 5 companions displayed only, but you've added 10) - and choose which ones are displayed.

To me, that just sounds more cosmetic, letting you choose who to display. But, I guess we won't know until they actually say, which could be some time!