GW2 is fun, but..

I began playing MMO's with a bit of EQ and more of EQ II.  I played various other MMO's over time including, Vanguard, World of Warcraft, RIFT, Tera, SWTOR, etc.  I have always played on either a PVP server or a FFA Pvp server.

GW2 seems to have alot of things but two things keep coming back to haunt me. 

1.  There is no risk to PVE, other than your own ill advised decisions to take on NPC's that are too difficult for you.  I always imagine that a fantasy world such as these, would be filled with risk not unlike a FFA server.  I understand the PVP separate of PVE, but for me.... it's just err.. missing something.

2.  No mounts - Again, I understand the reasons for it.. it just seems to be missing something for me.  To never get on some contrived ship in the air or on the water  ... and only waypoint then run.. is just well ... err missing something.

Granted, these two things are not game breaking for me but I just find myself feeling a bit empty.  I suppose another thing for me is that I have been a MT for the last 8-10 years and found I loved the fact that I could earn a reputation "good or bad"  in dungeons and raids.  I also felt very needed.  In GW2, I just melt into "one of many" players.  No real need for me as others can all do the dps'ing, supporting, or condition removing. 

I must admit, I have high hopes for ArcheAge to make it, albeit a long ways on the horizon.  It has the PVP and PVE combined, it has the mounts (oh so many and ships you can build!), it has seige warfare, it has war grounds, etc, etc.  It also has the tank that became such a part of my online personality.

Dare I hope... this one may make it... that I may actually find it a great game.  Time will tell.  I know each to her/his own, unfortunately so far, neither Tera, Rift, or GW2 fullfills the things I long for.  Here is hoping that ArcheAge will!

Funny, but I actually like the new way... where crowd control and working as a group is more important than having a tank and healer. I use to play a healer in WOW, WAR, and RIFT so I understand that joy of being able to find a group pretty fast cause you are needed and the group can not proceed without you. I also know the pain of being blamed when the group is bad and/or the "tank" is not specc'd or geared correctly... This new model forces people to play their characters well... to have awareness of their surroundings... rather than DPS just standing in the red circles and expecting a heal... now they are responsible to be self reliant while at the same time working with the team. Crowd control is huge in this game as well - instead of a tank you have CC - keeping that mob locked down is so important - but all the classes can contribute to this. And if you die, release and run back in... I really dig the freedom that this all represents. I no longer am forced to play my class a certain way - I have options and flexibility and can change things around as I want... Loving it.

I have to say I prefer the swiftness buffs over the mounts. I can deal with never getting dazed and knocked off a mount cause some mob that is no threat to me gets in a lucky hit as I go past. And I will be glad if I never have to wait on a dock for 10 minutes for a boat to show up or spend 15 minutes on a bird as it takes the least direct route to my destination again. I also like that they broke up the old trinity of needing a tank and healer to do anything. You can just bring whoever you want. That is an achievement. And of course WvW... that is far better done in GW2 than in any game I have played. For me that alone is enough reason to play. I prefer that kind of PvP to all the ganking on PvP ruleset servers where level 60s camp the level 20 quest areas.

I'm a pretty old MMO player myself (both in games played and age lol), and I'm already hitting the "slightly bored" phase with GW2. But, I've been on serious MMO burnout for some time (partly why I haven't advanced in the guild as much, compared to my wife). I think its just the repetitiveness of everything for me. I hit 80 on my mesmer, completed my personal story, and have rolled a number of alts (50 ranger, 25 thief, 20 guardian, and misc other lowbies). I had access to all the BWE, but stopped after #2 as I didn't want to burn through content I would in turn, burn through again. But I think thats just the nature of the beast with MMO games. If you have a themepark game, it can get repetitive. If its an open sandbox, it doesn't attract as many players or its too hard, etc (and I do play EVE Online as well). But, on the plus side, I don't feel the need to level up or play because I'm paying a subscription for it. I don't have to roll a tank/healer (which I tend to do) to get in a group. The classes have some variety to them, I can tank/heal/melee in nearly every class, or do crazy things like put tanky type gear on a elementalist or ranger for survivability. Plus, with no subscription, I can pick it up anytime I choose to, play some, go on a guild run, and have fun. I enjoyed that with GW1, even coming back a year later and leveling up a character for fun, then sitting it aside until I came back another 6m-1yr later.

» Edited on: 2012-09-24 10:43:33

I have not "given" up on GW2 or MMO's. I may be experiencing a bit of theme park MMO burn out, but overall I am just not a part of the "immediate" get me there crowd. Waypoints have zero interaction and one just pops around. No journey there.. Overall, I like GW2 and WvW seems fun enough... this is just an old tank babbling about the things that are missing for him personally. Just from the responses given here, it would seem GW2 is on the 'popular" path and that I am in a minority. I guess I can still hope for the full game I speak of for me.

Yep I started with EQ in 1999 and I played that game for 5 years , afterwards I played a lot of the new generation MMO`s coming out , and all of them were dumbed down , made easy etc. Each one starting with WOW and progresing forward became easier then the next , simplier content etc, , A boss mob is to hard for 80 % of the population , make it easy so everyone can beat it instead of leave it diffcult and have players get better lol . Games today seem to be getting even more easy with each new release in the hopes of getting more subs as MMO`s are so mainstream now that few gamers want a challenge and just want a game to play where they WIN cause no one likes losing lol. 80% of gamers today would hate EQ as it was back in 99 - 2004 as it would be too hard , to play, the learning curve too steep, the penalty for death to high etc hehe . I too am sick of all the dumbed down theme park mmo`s that hold your hand while leading you around the game from quest area to quest area rushing you to endgame . I`ve been watching Archeage for about a year and a half and yep it looks good , I always enjoyed sandbox type games more , and I hope the true next generation MMO`s will be a mix of sandbox and themepark , more like 80 % sandbox 20 % themepark. Only reason i`m in GW2 is the DAOC style RVR , none of the other stuff instrest me but guess i`ll to do a dungeon just to say i did .

It is different in its own way and easier compared to some things I've done. However, even with all the beta testing I did, I'm still enjoying it. I think it is more that I need a distraction and can't always manage to sit down with a good book for long. My hands hate gripping things too long, but I can still type thanks to nearly 30 years of knowing how to do it right by touch. Just feel tingles now instead. HA! So in a way I like this better because there are less controls to push to do things. Rift felt pretty crazy with far too many tool bars up and having to click a lot of them as well as having the right things on the easiest hot key bar. I find some classes harder to play than others, so when I want a challenge I play my alts. When I just need to hack and slash with utter abandon, I play Briseadh, my guardian. I've done melee in other MMOs, but this one is the one that I really enjoy it in. Just ask Wolvain and others how crazy I get with Briseadh in explorer mode dungeons. The other thing I don't mind doing is spending a few silver to hop across the world to help someone out, chit chat, or whatever comes about. Sometimes I am too distracted by real life to join up, but that's when I run solo and at least answer questions that might pop up that I can answer when actually at the keyboard or have my headset on. =)

Here is a little taste of what is going on in CBT 5 currently with ArcheAge http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0cap9ZhNM34#!

What I really miss in the latest batch of MMO's that I've played (WAR, Rift, SWTOR, and now GW2) is player housing. Back in UO we built out own city with houses and towers. That's actually where most of my time/energy went. We did the same in SWG. Modern MMOs are all about questing and PvP and honestly, it's getting a bit stale. I miss the days of building real communities within the game. That said there's a lot that I like about GW2. I actually like that there are no mounts. Constantly getting on and off of mounts while running around gets tiresome. I liked that in EQ2 you could at least fight trash mobs that get in your way while mounted. The combat system is the best I've witnessed in an MMO. I love that pre-defined roles are done away with. Teamwork and group tactics are more important than eve while not forcing players into pigeonhole roles. Also gone is the management of six skill bars full of 40+ different skills that you have to learn to mash in just the right order to maximize your effectiveness. I don't miss that system! Combat in GW2 is much more tactical and less cluttered. Sort of a blend between an MMO and an action RPG. Of course there are also things I'm not crazy about but overall I'm finding GW2 very refreshing. My main concern is on the game's longevity. How long will it hold my interest. I lost interest in Rift when the guild I played with fell apart as people moved on to other games. Wish I had stuck with this guild in Rift, I'd probably still be playing. WvW is fun but I believe the underlying system of scoring points needs to be revamped for it to remain valid long term. Field asset swapping only remains fun for so long.

I got into SWG late (after the combat upgrade and all) but the player housing and the crafting systems were just amazing. The rest of the game not so much... I do wish someone would come out with anything comparable to how they did the housing and crafting.

I've also been an MMO player since the birth of the interwebs, but I am coming off a good two year break from online gaming (thanks for keeping me on the books btw...holy cow the guild has grown). Maybe it's a fresh perspective you can only get after a good break, but I am really loving GW2. First, the world is freaking huge and they already have little cherries placed for expansions. The lore is solid and there's at least a couple good paperbacks available to round out your knowledge if you enjoy an immersive environment like I do. Crafting makes sense and is useful and possible as early as level 5 with minimal effort. Characters are diverse, and you are not forced to play a particular race if you want to be a certain class. Except Norns rule. Keg Brawl. Dyes. Dragons. I keep telling myself to get on Raidcall and group more, but I'm so darn immersed and I love running into guildies and spontaneously RPing. The dynamic events are brilliant. They keep me wondering what's around the next corner. Last night I hopped down a storm drain and found a new cave. I haven't done too much wvwvw yet, but I am taking classes in the Mists and slowly figuring how all that works :)

"As for ArcheAge... It'll be another niche title like Darkfall and Mortal Online. It is very pretty and plans to offer a lot of things that a certain group of people have been seeking. However, the main populace of gamers won't go near it. Plus, the game was originally slated for mid-2010 release and they kinda didn't make that. I wish them well with it." It was not slated for 2010. I would always hope for a company to take more time rather than push a product prematurely out the door. Darkfall and Mortal Online are really not even in the same ball park here. I will agree on the "main populace" will not go near it, but that sits fine with me.

» Edited on: 2012-09-27 19:27:06

I,m another mmo veteran and I am so glad I got to expirience the original EQ where we had to actually meet to make a guild in a certain pre-arranged place and time so a GM would actually meet you in-game to activate the guild. Where the trip to get there, all the way on a differant continent was an actual adventure. Where you died in the worst places for your level and had to get back to that place, and sneek in to recover your corpse (and belongings). You needed to make (or find) acual maps for zones. But those where the old days and kinda like real life, most modern mmo players like everything handed to them. Instant travel, etc. I doubt we will ever see anything like the old mmo's again (except for the small niche games). Those of us that got to expirience these things should be glad to have had that time, and unfortunatlly those of us who didn't will probablly never know just how fun it was to actually feel like you accomplished something and not just have recieved a handout. Now that said. I really like the WvWvW in gw2. I dont miss the gankers and griefers from other games. I like that I don; t have to spend my time kiling off a mob to get to a gathering node only to see some idiot run in right before the end of the fight and grab the goods. I like that you can't communicate (and have to listen to endless trash talking) with the enemy teams. I agree with the need for teamwork, tactics, etc., being more important than who has the best gear or level for auto-win. I am enjoying an mmo for the first time in a long time and no monthly fee. For me there is a lot to miss from the classics like the original EQ, DAoC classic, etc. but there is a lot to like about GW2. Regards, Gjindaan

» Edited on: 2012-09-27 21:45:03

"Back when XL Games were introducing Project X2 (aka ArcheAge) it was slated for late spring/early summer CBT and Winter OBT with Late 2010/Early 2011 release. This was when it really was being set to go up against the bigger games in the KR market that were in production as well like Blade & Soul, Continent of the Ninth (C9), and Tera. All of those projects slipped as well" Again not accurate information, however I will not post on this thread anymore.

Asheron's Call was the first MMO I played and I was hooked on them until the last year or so. I don't know if it is burn-out or if the games have really changed and that is causing the problem. Overall they were ceasing to be entertaining. I even still have a WoW sub for which I have only logged in about 12 times in the last year. Then GW2 came along and it was very refreshing to me. It can be on the easy side and it certainly has room to grow, granted. The mount thing isn't a big deal to me since it always seemed like another way to waste time. Get me to the stuff that interests me and I am happy. Overall I am not bored with GW2 yet. Hopefully they will keep it dynamic enough to keep everyone entertained.