Summer Update = Top Secret Agenda???

Okay so I'm just wondering but is anyone else out there getting quite annoyed of there being no set date on the release of this "Summer Update"? I've been playing GW since they first stuck the beta pre-order packs on the shelf, as I know alot of us have, and there has never truly been any issue with them doing updates in a timely/positive fashion but it seems that they might have gotten everyone far too psyched up about this event by putting it in the news section WAY too early. I don't really feel that this a decent way to do things, you know the whole "keep it secret until the last minute" thing, and it's not going to help keep the population in the game because there is never any specifics on what they are planning to address anymore. Don't get me wrong here, I love this game and I'm not looking to give it up but I can't even begin to tell you how many people I talk to that had/have high hopes of seeing some possible raise in the level cap because they are currently getting a little tired of have nothing to work towards anymore. You log in everyday and how many people that you've been talking with on a casual basis are now all level 20 and are thinking of starting an alt just to actually do something again? I just think that NCSoft needs to try and do something serious to get players to a point where they feel like they are moving forward again and not just waiting for the "Summer Update" just to go and cycle thier levels a few more times. Sorry for the long post but I'm speaking for alot more than myself from what I've been hearing and I just wanted to see if there are more players feeling like this?

Every gaming company does things this way. That's why release dates change constantly until the magic "gone gold" is applied to a game. Blizzard NEVER released patch dates until the day they came out (including last Friday's). Everyone knows these things are coming but it is VERY common for devs to say "when it's ready".

No real mystery. It's industry practice.

The thing is, there is really no way at all to tell when a coding project will be finish. Every projected release date is a completely made up date, it might happen, but that would just be dumb luck. The truth is, they have no way at all of knowing when the update will be ready. Smart companies know this and never talk about release dates because it just causes bad feelings when they are inevitably missed.

Bad companies give a release date, then release buggy unfinished software to make the date, causing even worse feelings. Anyone who's ever bough a game near Christmas has to have noticed what a bugfest games are released near that time.

Software programming is an art (a very technical art, but still an art), and art just can't be produced on deadline, no matter how much a deadline is desired.

ArenaNet is fairly new in terms of a company. The people that make up the company are not new to the gaming industry however. It may take a while for ArenaNet to adjust and change with its community. Maybe they will open up more and give details more freely in the future. For now they are still learning how the community reacts to certain things, and what the community likes to do the most.

I've decided since they said it's summer, it must be Summer 2006.

Too bad everyone hated the 1.11 patch that they just released.

The game is free, they promised a summer update, it's still summer. If the defining point in your life is an update to a video game with minor changes that may not even affect you... I'd take a long look at your life and double check your aspirations.

Plus I also bet when they do release it... there will be at least one person saying how displeased they were with it.

Lazy summers. I can think of a large demographic that would look forward to the update simply as a change of pace. Plus school is starting soon. I would like the update before my life is busy again (2nd year engineering major)

the community that is eagerly awaiting the summer update is largely comprised of children/young adults still in school....they've got their hopes up for a release date that will coincide with hours upon hours of guiltless play due to a lack of anything important to do....and as that time gets shorter and shorter you're going to start to hear an outcry from this demographic. The reality of it is that life doesn't just stop during the summer(for the rest of the world), which makes it easier for the adults and the young adults that aren't currently engaged in schooling(and even those that are doing both...damn overachievers) to deal with release dates being pushed back...it doesn't affect our schedule at all. I understand where the first demographic is coming from...I envy the lazy days of summer just waiting for something to do, but you can't rush an update. I'd rather it be complete and late than on time and buggy.

as far as bumping the level cap...I sure hope they don't.

No worries, engineering is easy.


I'm not really worried about a change. Whenever they release the new stuff or what not, is when they release it. I can certainly do something else until then. Being that there isn't a monthly fee, it really doesn't bother me at all.

hopefully they DO bump up the lvl cap. i heard iz comin out in NOV.- but theyll probably push back the release date---also heard rumers of different races ( like W.O.W.)- maybe get 2 play as charr or undead---excited but i want it CHEAP---ill just buy from my fiend 4 half $

What concerns me is that the only thing we hear about the summer update is that there will be "new explorable zones for players". Ummm, okay. Care to go into specifics? New towns? New outposts? New missions? Ascended content? Pre-ascended content? Any new items/weapons? Any new skills? (even a miniscule amount is better than nothing) Any significant changes to existing gameplay that are going into this update?

Throw us a freaking bone here. All I know is that there are going to be areas with dwarves in them, and because of the Name the Boss contest there is going to be a bunch of bosses in them too. Since the only updates that have been made to GW in a few weeks have been bugfixes I'm assuming that any extra things they've implemented for normal gameplay (tweaks which usually have been given to us in patches up until recently) are going into this update as well. But I really have no idea.

Oh, I also know that it will be out before Chapter 2.

ther wont b a monthly fee, 100% sure.

I am PREETY sure that the technical end of Summer is September 22, 2005. So the way i see it... from now they have what? about 43 days...

...my bet is Wednesday September 21, 2005

IGN- crucion star

Please, dont say the words 'raise the level cap' anymore. This is not Grind Wars. If they raised it to 30, then when you get there, will you yell about not having 40 levels? Sorry, but I have a ranger that ascended in week 2 after release. I'm still finding new builds for him.

That is going to be the worst part, seeing 300 theads called " I waited all summer for this?"... ill be happy with whatever we get


Ya of course its not Grind Wars, everyone knows its Gold Wars...

Everybody seems to be expecting so much from the summer update. And aNet (PR) already gave hints to what to expect.
The golden path to sucessful update anticipation always is: don't expect too much. Keep you hopes low.
If the update delivers more than you expected, you'll go: "Wow, cool update".
If you expect too much, and the update does not deliver all that, what you hoped for you will only go: "Rats, what the heck?"

Did they give a exact decade? Stop whining, when they say its summer, it will be summer. Every company does this, and ANET does it even better.

/sarcasm off

Oh, you guys! We can't win for losing!

Somebody says, "Is there anything new coming up in the future?"

We say, "Well, yes, we're going to release Chapter 2 in the first half of 2006."

"Well," they ask, "what about something before that. Have you any such plans?"

"Sure, we have some cool stuff coming up this summer, as a matter of fact. Two new explorable areas with new quests, new monsters, and we think it'll be very fun!"

And from that, now, it's "You shouldn't have told us it was coming until the day before you released it?" Aw, now, that's just not fair!

This isn't a patch. This isn't an effort to balance things, or fix bugs, or close exploits, or repair errors in code, art, or storyline. This is brand new and spiffy content -- something fun you haven't done before, something we think you'll enjoy. So yeah, we wanted to share that it was coming, in part to give you something to look forward to, and in part because it's nice to share good news with friends. If when we mentioned it we were being meanies for letting the word out, well, hey, guess you'll have to deal with the anticipation!

Summer Update -- Coming this summer.

*gets behind Gaile who is already like 5 billion miles away*

Yea! Now stop crying!

I agree. We, the gamers, must drive you nuts from time to time. But the big line is: give us more information. as always. They want to know when it comes out, what comes out, what you look like in real life, if you give your washingmachine a name, etc. Its the ever going quest of getting that brandnew newsfact. Everyone loves news.
And the expectations are part of that. "What, the summerupdate isn't out yet this week? But when?"