How do they do it!

[Carighan.6758]

> @"xan.8936" said:

> How does Anet deliver such value for very little cost? The latest free patch was excellent.

 

Because it actually wasn't all *that* excellent.

 

The production is likely extremely lean. That's why the mini-zones we get with each living story episode feel so underdeveloped, and why the story always follows the exact same rhythm and overall design, forcibly dropping the previous context for the next one (so 3 teams can work independently on alternating steps). The mechanics in the mini-zones are by and large just recycled from the main zones, there's few if any actual additions to characters (compare the new healing abilities early in the game, or the whole mastery tracks brought by the expansions). The textures/models are recycled, usually the story is adapted to fit that in somewhere. See the current rifts.

 

This is **not** me bashing the game, mind you. The game has no subscription fee, so a lower quality of ongoing content is expected and in fact, I'd be worried if it weren't the case because then the company would clearly be bleeding money somewhere. For the cost paid, the quality is **astounding**. I feel other games like WoW or FF14 do better, but again, those have ongoing fees instead of relying on a cash store only (they still have such a store!).

 

So I guess the value is indeed crazy, even if I'd disagree about the excellency? And in fact I'd say the lack of latter is how they can achieve such an amazing result for the former :tongue:

[DakotaCoty.5721]

> @"Ganathar.4956" said:

> > @"Raizel.8175" said:

> > > @"Ganathar.4956" said:

> > > > @"DakotaCoty.5721" said:

> > > > > @"Ganathar.4956" said:

> > > > > > @"DakotaCoty.5721" said:

> > > > > > > @"Kal Spiro.9745" said:

> > > > > > > > @"DakotaCoty.5721" said:

> > > > > > > > > @"xan.8936" said:

> > > > > > > > > How does Anet deliver such value for very little cost?

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > I mean.... they don't?

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > Compared to other MMO titles, our content is very little and given sparingly. Other MMOs in the span of 3 months get a major raid, a new class, hefty open world updates. GW2 on the flip side gives a 1 hour play patch every 3-4 months, and even when they made 200% more money due to the sale of Mount Licenses, we still get extremely slowed content.

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Which other MMOs are we talking here?

> > > > > >

> > > > > > ESO - Playerhousing, new trials, new dungeons, new zones, revamped LFG system (twice) etc..

> > > > > > WoW - in the span of 3 months, 2 new raids, 9 bosses, new races / classes, 6 new sub-races, 10 dungeons + 2 more coming.

> > > > > > BDO - New classes, world zones, world bosses, expansions that are indicative of their genre.

> > > > > >

> > > > > > I appreciate Guild Wars 2, it's a game with truly unique systems and story, but, the content delivery even after a major influx of money is still slow and not valued.

> > > > >

> > > > > ESO was already addressed by someone else, so I'll focus on WoW and BDO.

> > > > >

> > > > > WoW just released its expansion 1.5 months ago, so it's obviously going to have more new content than the competition. You can't just compare an expansion launch to content patches. In addition, their sub-races are just re-skins that could have easily been more customization options for existing races. Are different horns for tauren or tattoos and light eyes for draenei such a big deal? WoW definitely releases quite a few more dungeon and raid bosses than GW2, but these games focus on different sorts of content. GW2 releases way more open world content in its patches.

> > > > >

> > > > > BDO makes way too many classes. It's so bad that Pearl Abyss makes ArenaNet look like balancing geniuses, which says a lot because ArenaNet is really not all that amazing at balancing. Too many classes is a bad thing, especially when they are only made to milk the player base for those cash shop items over and over again. Their frequently released new classes do not only affect balance though. I am pretty sure that they affect the rate of other content release too. The major content releases of BDO actually happen at an abysmal rate. Kamasylvia part 2 was released 10 months ago in NA, and we still have no idea when Drieghan is coming out. They do release other stuff in between of the major releases, but it's usually inconsequential stuff. Content that doesn't matter like savage rift, or stuff that makes the game worse like the node war changes and the militia system. Their major releases usually have a decent amount of quests, some nodes and some grind spots that only very geared players can grind. That's their typical content. They barely have any group content to speak of really.

> > > > >

> > > > > GW2 itself actually has one of the most solid release cadences in the MMO industry at the moment. The main thing that is lacking is the introduction of grindy long-term goals in every content patch, so that they are more replayable. ArenaNet might just be a little bit too generous with their lack of time gates. They have daily hearts and daily achievements for the new maps, but the new currencies are acquirable in many other ways as well. Whatever the case, the content is there, but maybe ArenaNet has to pace the rewards a bit better. One good thing that they did with the latest episode though is that they made Requiem armor require lots of mistonium. That could keep many players busy, though the very hardcore ones will know how to get it rather quickly. However, they kinda messed up with the sigil of nullification requirements. If the armor is so pricey, the casuals will give up and then they won't have to play the map for all of that mistonium.

> > > >

> > > > You are misinterpreting what I am saying.

> > > >

> > > > WoW has patch updates within timezones as GW2 does; the most notable right now is patch 8.1

> > > >

> > > > This patch alone will introduce 2 raids, with dual-faction integration (two different encounters for both factions), 2 new dungeons, plus open world content. This is no an unfamiliar practice with WoW - they add to their open world, probably moreso than GW2. Legion: Broken Isles, Argus (contained 3 maps).

> > > >

> > > > If ArenaNet decided to revamp the lfg / dungeon system, this game would also have a nice carrot-on-stick that is different from FOTM and raids. I.e. you queue for a dungeon, you get X gold for the first run, then X silver for repeated runs + dungeon loot (maybe chance for rare stuff inside the LFG). But there are systems that are flat-out ignored.

> > >

> > > WoW always starts its expansion packs with a good amount of content and with a big content patch ready to go 1.5-2 months afterwards. However, once that surge of content is released, their releases slow down significantly. In Legion, patch 7.2 came out 3 months after 7.1, while 7.3 came out 6 months after 7.2. The gap between 7.3 and the release of the latest expansion was almost an entire year. Guild wars 2 releases its major patches roughly every 3 months, with Anet's current team structure ensuring that there is no big content drought between LW and expansions. Basically the difference here is that Blizzard likes doing a few huge and epic releases, while Anet likes to release smaller chunks of content more frequently.

> > >

> > > Also, as I said Blizzard focuses way more on instanced content so they do release way more dungeons and raids. However, even though they do release open world stuff, it often pales in comparison to the open world content that Anet produces. Anet produces maps more frequently, as well as meta events. Legion had new zones in Argus and the broken shore, but they were still fewer than what LW3 had. Anet are actually doing even better now though, because they have structured their LW teams properly, which means no HoT content drought again. So with PoF patches, we will be getting even more maps than what we got in HoT. I also feel like I should mention that the open world content that Blizzard does add is not that impressive. World quests are pretty boring and uninspired and often have generic rewards. Their leveling is pretty good, but that's only a thing at the start of expansions.

> >

> > No big content drought in GW2? I have to disagree.

> >

> > It feels like we have no real content ever since some months after the PoF-release have passed. PoF was quite low-quality content for a MMO since its replayability-value is basically zero. The LWS4-episodes don't help either. Sure, Istan is pretty much alive, but only because it's a braindead and overrewarding gold-grind. The other maps died rather quickly, just like Jahai will in one or two weeks. There simply are no gameplay-additions of value. At least in LWS3, you had trinkets you could farm for Alts, especially since that was the most efficient way to get Viper-stuff. The LWS4 maps don't offer that though. There's a reason why people reduce LW-maps to "additional AP". ArenaNet really ought to re-evaluate its LW-formula. In my regard, that formula is quite a failure.

> >

> > Oh, and let's not forget that they shipped unfinished content with Kourna.

>

> I addressed the replayability of the content in my first post in this thread. It's true that ArenaNet needs to work more on how the rewards are earned so that the content is more replayable. That is a reward problem though, not a content problem. That's why it might *feel* to some that there is not that much real content coming in.

 

One would argue that rewards are content; that is the premise for every MMO, including GW2. Simply because rewards in itself can generate content, whether through repetition or through updates.

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

I used to play Champions Online to compare to what happens here. All you need to know from just that.

[Gemnaid.4219]

I’m going to have to disagree.