A little angry for my investment

[zengara.8301]

> @"Danikat.8537" said:

> Buying a produce or service is not the same as investing in a company and you should never expect to get anything back from it except the product or service you purchased.

>

> You can choose to imagine yourself an investor and tell yourself you're doing it to support the company, but it's important to remember that distinction exists only in your own mind - for situations exactly like this. A real investor would have been told up-front what their money would be used for, and may even have been given some say in the decision. They should also have been made aware that any new game is a risk and most never make it to release, although aspects of the design may be re-used later on.

>

> It's also much more unusual for a studio to be working on just 1 game - especially one that's already released - than to have seperate teams working on different game, some of which will never see the light of day. I'm sure games developers (and people creating other types of products) would love to be able to know before they even start on a project that it will work and the end result will be worth making and selling, but that's just not how the world works. You have to do some work, even if it's just market research, to even know if it's worth thinking about taking it any further.

 

Your comment is kinda far reaching compared to the other comments previously that was steadfast, direct and honest. On the produce and service part, there literally isnt anything else to give, not sure where you are going with that (like you can not make/create or do anything that isnt a service or produce xD) You can argue A-Net promised a continuous service of free content, so I dont know really where you are going with that since that is basically everything in this world.

 

The investors knowledge of what the money is being used in this company as limited as currently ours are. (Though you are right, if they had billionaire investors, hosted parties etc for them, then they would get details of what is being used where, but for a game company like A-Net that isnt actively looking for certain investors for the game, but rather sometimes holding events like on E3, it is not)

 

But otherwise yeah, basically the entertainment value held for 6 years. Hard to argue against the idea that that was a bad investment. To be honest, just my way of saying ur right on the idea that this service should hold for longer is ridiculous, but everything else in your text is kinda far fetched.

[Vayne.8563]

> @"zengara.8301" said:

> > @"Danikat.8537" said:

> > Buying a produce or service is not the same as investing in a company and you should never expect to get anything back from it except the product or service you purchased.

> >

> > You can choose to imagine yourself an investor and tell yourself you're doing it to support the company, but it's important to remember that distinction exists only in your own mind - for situations exactly like this. A real investor would have been told up-front what their money would be used for, and may even have been given some say in the decision. They should also have been made aware that any new game is a risk and most never make it to release, although aspects of the design may be re-used later on.

> >

> > It's also much more unusual for a studio to be working on just 1 game - especially one that's already released - than to have seperate teams working on different game, some of which will never see the light of day. I'm sure games developers (and people creating other types of products) would love to be able to know before they even start on a project that it will work and the end result will be worth making and selling, but that's just not how the world works. You have to do some work, even if it's just market research, to even know if it's worth thinking about taking it any further.

>

> Your comment is kinda far reaching compared to the other comments previously that was steadfast, direct and honest. On the produce and service part, there literally isnt anything else to give, not sure where you are going with that (like you can not make/create or do anything that isnt a service or produce xD) You can argue A-Net promised a continuous service of free content, so I dont know really where you are going with that since that is basically everything in this world.

>

> The investors knowledge of what the money is being used in this company as limited as currently ours are. (Though you are right, if they had billionaire investors, hosted parties etc for them, then they would get details of what is being used where, but for a game company like A-Net that isnt actively looking for certain investors for the game, but rather sometimes holding events like on E3, it is not)

>

> But otherwise yeah, basically the entertainment value held for 6 years. Hard to argue against the idea that that was a bad investment. To be honest, just my way of saying ur right on the idea that this service should hold for longer is ridiculous, but everything else in your text is kinda far fetched.

 

I think what's being said here, is that if you invest in a company, such as buy stock in that company, you have a right to different expectations than if you're paying money into a game on in game rewards. One of them is buying something to play the game, the same way you'd go to a restaurant and buy a hamburger. You don't get to say that all the money from this hamburger most go to this restaurant. You're paying for a hamburger and you're getting one.

 

Investing in a company, as in buying stocks, means that you have a real vested interested in how the company is spending money over all, because you are demanding some sort of profit from that company. You're not getting an item or a service in that case.

 

NcSoft, which owns Anet, is a publicly traded company. They have investors that have bought stock. They didn't buy stock in Anet, they bought stock in a parent company of which Anet is a relatively small part. Anet only has one title and most investors would see an aging title without diversification as a bad investment. Having nothing to do with spending money in game to buy a service or a product.

[Beda Zzle.5281]

I will NEVER play a mobile MMO. For one thing I can't see the screen and movement would be horrible. IMHO and for my preferences only MMOs should be PC only. Or comparable. not on mobile devices. They had mentioned A LONG time ago about developing a mobile app that would let us keep track of the AH and our friends and guild members but that fell through. Now that I would still approve.

[yann.1946]

> @"Daniel.5428" said:

> > @"yann.1946" said:

> > They paid for items in this game. Not for the game I general.

>

> I paid for the game. Let's get serious, all those black lion chests I've openeded, skins etc didn't help me with anything. But I was buying gems to support the game, not to buy something I've wished for long.

>

>

true you paid for the game (i actually was referring to the gemstores item tho i should have been clearer.)

you've paid for the Black lion chests and got the chests. while you might feel like you paid for gw2 development but you just paid for the items. I understand why you feel this way and it's admirable to want to support the game. But you're only paying the company not the game.

 

As a last note you have supported the game by showing its still profitable.

[Shortage.5427]

It's pointless my dude, the recent updates on the "Warclaw" mount and that cash-grab pass, is a blatant figure that Anet, is completely derranged from its REAL players. The ones who would sink time and effort into this game. People who would've supported it. But these people left long time ago around 2012-2013. Anet, if you read this, you did this. YOU killed the game. Get a grip with reality.

[Wubbbi.8172]

> @"Shortage.5427" said:

> It's pointless my dude, the recent updates on the "Warclaw" mount and that cash-grab pass, is a blatant figure that Anet, is completely derranged from its REAL players. The ones who would sink time and effort into this game. People who would've supported it. But these people left long time ago around 2012-2013. Anet, if you read this, you did this. YOU killed the game. Get a grip with reality.

 

It is absolutly beyond me why you think that ... I like the update that came today. I like the warclaw and I do not see how this is a cash-grab. You get it for Free, you unlock it for free and you skill it for free. I didn't pay a dime for it! There is seriously something wrong with you!

 

Did you put on your alumium helmet?

[Carambola.1273]

I don't understand why arenanet hate WvW so much....

[sigur.9453]

> @"Wubbbi.8172" said:

> > @"Shortage.5427" said:

> > It's pointless my dude, the recent updates on the "Warclaw" mount and that cash-grab pass, is a blatant figure that Anet, is completely derranged from its REAL players. The ones who would sink time and effort into this game. People who would've supported it. But these people left long time ago around 2012-2013. Anet, if you read this, you did this. YOU killed the game. Get a grip with reality.

>

> It is absolutly beyond me why you think that ... I like the update that came today. I like the warclaw and I do not see how this is a cash-grab. You get it for Free, you unlock it for free and you skill it for free. I didn't pay a dime for it! There is seriously something wrong with you!

>

> Did you put on your alumium helmet?

 

Free isn't always free. It's on you to decide if they made the mount because they think it will help and enrich wvw. Or if they made it primarily to sell you new skins.

[Wubbbi.8172]

> @"sigur.9453" said:

> > @"Wubbbi.8172" said:

> > > @"Shortage.5427" said:

> > > It's pointless my dude, the recent updates on the "Warclaw" mount and that cash-grab pass, is a blatant figure that Anet, is completely derranged from its REAL players. The ones who would sink time and effort into this game. People who would've supported it. But these people left long time ago around 2012-2013. Anet, if you read this, you did this. YOU killed the game. Get a grip with reality.

> >

> > It is absolutly beyond me why you think that ... I like the update that came today. I like the warclaw and I do not see how this is a cash-grab. You get it for Free, you unlock it for free and you skill it for free. I didn't pay a dime for it! There is seriously something wrong with you!

> >

> > Did you put on your alumium helmet?

>

> Free isn't always free. It's on you to decide if they made the mount because they think it will help and enrich wvw. Or if they made it primarily to sell you new skins.

 

And? Are you forced to buy new skins? This argument is really does not work. Otherwise every new feature would be a cash-grab. Imagine they would not have added OPTIONAL skins for the mount. Oh baby the forum would be crying all over the place. Per my definition, "cash-grab" means player are literally FORCED to buy something to progess in the game. ... This is the opposite. You get something completly for free. And it is free. Not "maybe free but actually not". No, it is 100% legit free. If you don't think so then please prove otherwise. A optional skin does not count!

[Iozeph.5617]

> @"Daniel.5428" said:

> > @"yann.1946" said:

> > They paid for items in this game. Not for the game I general.

>

> I paid for the game. Let's get serious, all those black lion chests I've openeded, skins etc didn't help me with anything. But I was buying gems to support the game, not to buy something I've wished for long.

>

>

 

And most importantly, since they've been trading on this indy company image with their players- ANet and other indy developers tend to do nothing to disabuse people of the notion that they're supporting development of the game they're paying for right that minute by purchasing DLC, prepurchasing via early access, and also in cash shoppes. Otherwise you'd have cheaper, a la carte mount skins so that people got what they wanted when they put their moneys up - not the one-armed bandit slot machine rubbish they've been doing where it's even possible to spend more than the price of the average player outfit on a duplicate skin. When they finally did give a la carte mount skin 'licences' they made those even spendier.

 

And people buy into this because it's the same mentality as those who buy raffle tickets for a local charity or a church summer festival - they overlook the one-armed bandit aspects of the raffle -something they would never otherwise willingly engage in- and even buy more than one ticket believing they're supporting them even though they know only one ticket will be called as winner.

 

This type of news would be more tolerable if the company hadn't been going out of it's way to screw players out of their money for the last several years. So much of their gem store business is about NOT giving you what you paid for.

 

So you get a duplicate mount skin- sell it for gold on the TP? No because gold is still easy enough to get in this game and most skins will be much less popular than others. Chances are better than average it's going to set there for a long time doing nothing because other players also agree that they don't want the damned thing either. They're(Anet) in sole control over the exchange rate of gems to gold so the moment you buy that duplicate ticket it's the equivalent of getting sucked by a local shop into buying something off their shelf which they've known to be a defective product because they've been trying to get rid of it. Surprise, it wasn;t what you needed or wanted and on returning you find you're only being given the option for 'in store credit.' One, you DIDN'T get what you wanted to begin with and two -why, if you didn't get what you wanted should you not get a refund instead of being forced to take something instead that you DON'T want.

 

And here we come round again to the origin of this dumpster fire - the argument of, 'Well you're doing it to support the continued development of...'

 

It's a cop out. All you armchair economics majors never have any answer for this save for, 'buyer beware' which is essentially Weasel Speak for, 'AHA! GOTCHA!' No credible answer because even you know these practices are deceptions done to play on people's feelings of good will, their sentimentality, and in the unfortunate cases of many, a propensity/addiction to gambling.

 

In the art world you go through a focus process with a client. You do thumbnailing and you narrow down what it is they want and what they feel works without making full blown versions at great expense. Yet with mount skins, as with other items only obtainable by randomly acquiring black lion tickets, Anet seems to have just thrown money out the window at their art teams and said here, make full versions of every thumbnail on the board, even the crap we agreed before hand that nobody will want. Don't worry, we'll recoup the cost by making them buy it, even if they don't want it by making the selections random and only obtainable randomly for the near future. Then later after we've done this we'll allow them to get them selectively at greater expense. Brilliant!

 

So no. No sympathy here, because this is part of the shady stuff management has rubber stamped on top of siphoning the money off to go nowhere do nothing side projects.

 

It's one thing for Anet to have been successful before, without the subterfuge, with Guild Wars and and to channel some of that into the creation of Guild Wars 2. Offering something for players to buy and what they see is what they get. Yes, that's the course of honest business. But doing what they've done for the last several years, screwing you first just parting you from your money dishonestly with the gambling aspects of the gem store and THEN squandering all of that on something that probably would have doubled down on more of the same without anything but token at best investment in several of gw2's game modes for years? And we're not talking about at a time when the game was considered 'past it.' We're talking about at a time after the game had just hit its stride- when it was essentially in the prime of its life. To put most of what little isn't siphoned off into the gambling and gem store aspects which do nothing to improve the player experience and then waste the rest?

 

That is nothing but a kick in the nuts. And after that kick- after the player's doubled over on the ground and retching, it's stomping on them repeatedly while wearing hobnailed boots.

 

Contrary to what some of you here so smugly believe, laughing at someone for being naive after they've just had this done to them isn't going to work wonders for expanding the markets for this game's few remaining positive aspects. Particularly after they've been caught out and after they had to sack so many people.

 

As empathy goes that's one thing. Nobody wants someone to lose their livelihood. And the pain and worry that comes with this is something most after the last decade will understand.

 

But sympathy for how they've gotten into this mess? Sympathy in light of that last decade and how they've taken money out of other people's hands dishonestly? Money that could have and probably should have been spent on worthier people's efforts? If your attitudes are even remotely similar/representative of those behind the curtain at ANet then they deserve every bit of the negativity they're getting from the disaffected parts of their fan base right now.

 

I'd say shame on them, especially management, but they felt no shame going forward with gambling, and they felt no shame rolling their fellow employees under the bus when the fiddler came for his due. If it's a trying time right now within the halls of ANet it's a trying time because they've not only screwed their players -much worse, they've screwed over their own friends and colleagues, they've cast a pall on the good works they've done and made a lot of bitter people in the process who don't even have the luxury of being publically bitter about the screwing they've just taken if they want to continue to work in their chosen professions.

 

Mull over that for a while.

[Algreg.3629]

> @"Iozeph.5617" said:

> > @"Daniel.5428" said:

> > > @"yann.1946" said:

> > > They paid for items in this game. Not for the game I general.

> >

> > I paid for the game. Let's get serious, all those black lion chests I've openeded, skins etc didn't help me with anything. But I was buying gems to support the game, not to buy something I've wished for long.

> >

> >

>

> And most importantly, since they've been trading on this indy company image with their players- ANet and other indy developers tend to do nothing to disabuse people of the notion that they're supporting development of the game they're paying for right that minute by purchasing DLC, prepurchasing via early access, and also in cash shoppes. Otherwise you've have cheaper, a la carte mount skins so that people got what they wanted when they put their moneys up - not the one-armed bandit slot machine rubbish they've been doing where it's even possible to spend more than the price of the average player outfit on a duplicate skin. When they finally did give a la carte mount skin 'licences' they made those even spendier.

>

> And people buy into this because it's the same mentality as those who buy raffle tickets for a local charity or a church summer festival - they overlook the one-armed bandit aspects of the raffle -something they would never otherwise willingly engage in- and even buy more than one ticket believing they're supporting them even though they know only one ticket will be called as winner.

>

> This type of news would be more tolerable if the company hadn't been going out of it's way to screw players out of their money for the last several years. So much of their gem store business is about NOT giving you what you paid for.

>

> So you get a duplicate mount skin- sell it for gold on the TP? No because gold is still easy enough to get in this game and most skins will be much less popular than others. Chances are better than average it's going to set there for a long time doing nothing because other players also agree that they don't want the damned thing either. They're(Anet) in sole control over the exchange rate of gems to gold so the moment you buy that duplicate ticket it's the equivalent of getting sucked by a local shop into buying something off their shelf which they've known to be a defective product because they've been trying to get rid of it. Surprise, it wasn;t what you needed or wanted and on returning you find you're only being given the option for 'in store credit.' One, you DIDN'T get what you wanted to begin with and two -why, if you didn't get what you wanted should you not get a refund instead of being forced to take something instead that you DON'T want.

>

> And here we come round again to the origin of this dumpster fire - the argument of, 'Well you're doing it to support the continued development of...'

>

> It's a cop out. All you armchair economics majors never have any answer for this save for, 'buyer beware' which is essentially Weasel Speak for, 'AHA! GOTCHA!' No credible answer because even you know these practices are deceptions done to play on people's feelings of good will, their sentimentality, and in the unfortunate cases of many, a propensity/addiction to gambling.

>

> In the art world you go through a focus process with a client. You do thumbnailing and you narrow down what it is they want and what they feel works without making full blown versions at great expense. Yet with mount skins, as with other items only obtainable by randomly acquiring black lion tickets, Anet seems to have just thrown money out the window at their art teams and said here, make full versions of every thumbnail on the board, even the kitten we agreed before hand that nobody will want. Don't worry, we'll recoup the cost by making them buy it, even if they don't want it by making the selections random and only obtainable randomly for the near future. Then later after we've done this we'll allow them to get them selectively at greater expense. Brilliant!

>

> So no. No sympathy here, because this is part of the shady stuff management has rubber stamped on top of siphoning the money off to go nowhere do nothing side projects.

>

> It's one thing for Anet to have been successful before, without the subterfuge, with Guild Wars and and to channel some of that into the creation of Guild Wars 2. Offering something for players to buy and what they see if what they get. Yes, that's the course of honest business. But doing what they've done for the last several years, screwing you first just parting you from your money dishonestly with the gambling aspects of the gem store and THEN squandering all of that on something that probably would have doubled down on more of the same without anything but token at best investment in several of gw2's game modes for years? And we're not talking about at a time when the game was considered 'past it.' We're talking about at a time after the game had just hit its stride- when it was essentially in the prime of its life. To put most of what little isn't siphoned off into the gambling and gem store aspects which do nothing to improve the player experience and then waste the rest?

>

> That is nothing but a kick in the nuts. And after that kick- after the player's doubled over on the ground and retching, it's stomping on them repeatedly while wearing hobnailed boots.

>

> Contrary to what some of you here so smugly believe, laughing at someone for being naive after they've just had this done to them isn't going to work wonders for expanding the markets for this game's few remaining positive aspects. Particularly after they've been caught out and after they had to sack so many people.

>

> As empathy goes that's one thing. Nobody wants someone to lose their livelihood. And the pain and worry that comes with this is something most after the last decade will understand.

>

> But sympathy for how they've gotten into this mess? Sympathy in light of that last decade and how they've taken money out of other people's hands dishonestly? MOney that could have and probably should have been spent on worthier people's efforts? If your attitudes are even remotely similar/representative of those behind the curtain at ANet then they deserve every bit of the negativity they're getting from the disaffected parts of their fan base right now.

>

> I'd say shame on them, especially management, but they felt no shame going forward with gambling, and they felt no shame rolling their fellow employees under the bus when the fiddler came for his due. If it's a trying time right now within the halls of ANet it's a trying time because they've not only screwed their players -much worse, they've screwed over their own friends and colleagues, they've cast a pall on the good works they've done and made a lot of bitter people in the process who don't even have the luxury of being publically bitter about the screwing they've just taken if they want to continue to work in their chosen professions.

>

> Mull over that for a while.

 

you can laugh smugly at the naiveté AND have no sympathy for a company.

[Bloodstealer.5978]

> @"zengara.8301" said:

> > @"Danikat.8537" said:

> > Buying a produce or service is not the same as investing in a company and you should never expect to get anything back from it except the product or service you purchased.

> >

> > You can choose to imagine yourself an investor and tell yourself you're doing it to support the company, but it's important to remember that distinction exists only in your own mind - for situations exactly like this. A real investor would have been told up-front what their money would be used for, and may even have been given some say in the decision. They should also have been made aware that any new game is a risk and most never make it to release, although aspects of the design may be re-used later on.

> >

> > It's also much more unusual for a studio to be working on just 1 game - especially one that's already released - than to have seperate teams working on different game, some of which will never see the light of day. I'm sure games developers (and people creating other types of products) would love to be able to know before they even start on a project that it will work and the end result will be worth making and selling, but that's just not how the world works. You have to do some work, even if it's just market research, to even know if it's worth thinking about taking it any further.

>

> Your comment is kinda far reaching compared to the other comments previously that was steadfast, direct and honest. On the produce and service part, there literally isnt anything else to give, not sure where you are going with that (like you can not make/create or do anything that isnt a service or produce xD) You can argue A-Net promised a continuous service of free content, so I dont know really where you are going with that since that is basically everything in this world.

>

> The investors knowledge of what the money is being used in this company as limited as currently ours are. (Though you are right, if they had billionaire investors, hosted parties etc for them, then they would get details of what is being used where, but for a game company like A-Net that isnt actively looking for certain investors for the game, but rather sometimes holding events like on E3, it is not)

>

> But otherwise yeah, basically the entertainment value held for 6 years. Hard to argue against the idea that that was a bad investment. To be honest, just my way of saying ur right on the idea that this service should hold for longer is ridiculous, but everything else in your text is kinda far fetched.

 

I think tbh you missed the point.. your investment by way of buying the game and gems for in game purchases is not the same as investing in the company.. you are merely supporting the company by choice.

Like I said in another thread where something similar was brought up.. when you buy a nice shiny new BMW or Ferrari, does that make you an investor, does it give you a say in how they spend that money.. Simply put - NO! NADA!, NOT A CHANCE!

Once you decide to buy the product and hand the cash over, that is the last you get to say about how or where it goes within the company.

However, become and investor and you get your say at the next AGM maybe.

Add to that, as an investor you will have access to more info than us players will ever get.

[AlexxxDelta.1806]

As a consumer I can't expect a guarantee my money spent on a product/service will be re-invested in said product.They might but they may also go to other projects or a shareholder's fat pocket. That's why the notion of "supporting" a corporation (and their product by proxy) with my purchases was always baffling to me. It is a simple transaction between a service provider and a consumer which should stop if said consumer deems the service inadequate.

[Balsa.3951]

> @"kharmin.7683" said:

> But that's the thing. Our money wasn't paid to support GW2, it was to support Anet. How they decided to use that money is certainly open for discussion, but at the end of it all, it was (and is!) their choice, whether we agree or not.

 

U know that’s not how Anet want ppl think, they like ppl believe spend money in gemshop supports the game. Ppl who pay think of I support the devs can work more on my favorite game.

 

Nobody should think she he is entitled but disappointed in anets priorities is understandable

[notebene.3190]

If you are looking for an investment, I could use $12.50 for a bear pet that's on sale at 50% off in PoE? :#

[Bloodstealer.5978]

> @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > But that's the thing. Our money wasn't paid to support GW2, it was to support Anet. How they decided to use that money is certainly open for discussion, but at the end of it all, it was (and is!) their choice, whether we agree or not.

>

> U know that’s not how Anet want ppl think, they like ppl believe spend money in gemshop supports the game. Ppl who pay think of I support the devs can work more on my favorite game.

>

> Nobody should think she he is entitled but disappointed in anets priorities is understandable

 

What can be more of a priority than ensuring the future of the company by way of new product development.. and that isn't something that happens just at a click of a finger.

I am sure we would all love GW2 to be a strong, revenue producer, the be all and end all for ANET, but that is just lala land thinking... without new products there wont be a GW2 or an ANET.. unless you think companies run on shirt button donations.

[Mathias.9657]

The west does not like mobile, we don't like P2W greedy cashgrabs, and that is exactly what mobile is. Complete opposite of GW philosophy.

 

If they were working on mobile, I'm glad it was cancelled, I'm not glad they lost people, but mobile is complete cancer.

 

Maybe they saw the massive backlash Blizzard got for heading towards mobile, a PC-focused company with PC fans... .

 

I'm curious what other projects were being worked on though, I wonder if it was a console release ? That would bring ton of revenue.

I highly doubt they'd be making a new game. I don't think they would cancel GW3.

[Balsa.3951]

> @"Bloodstealer.5978" said:

> > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > > @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > > But that's the thing. Our money wasn't paid to support GW2, it was to support Anet. How they decided to use that money is certainly open for discussion, but at the end of it all, it was (and is!) their choice, whether we agree or not.

> >

> > U know that’s not how Anet want ppl think, they like ppl believe spend money in gemshop supports the game. Ppl who pay think of I support the devs can work more on my favorite game.

> >

> > Nobody should think she he is entitled but disappointed in anets priorities is understandable

>

> What can be more of a priority than ensuring the future of the company by way of new product development.. and that isn't something that happens just at a click of a finger.

> I am sure we would all love GW2 to be a strong, revenue producer, the be all and end all for ANET, but that is just lala land thinking... without new products there wont be a GW2 or an ANET.. unless you think companies run on shirt button donations.

 

Hmm I’m not sure gw2 had potential to be nr 2 mmo or at least nr 3 if they would push hard enough.

I say they should have aimed for be top and for be top u need focus on ur main game.

 

Also according to u Anet as a company is dead in the water now ? Their side adventure didn’t worked out

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

> @"Iozeph.5617" said:

> > @"Daniel.5428" said:

> > > @"yann.1946" said:

> > > They paid for items in this game. Not for the game I general.

> >

> > I paid for the game. Let's get serious, all those black lion chests I've openeded, skins etc didn't help me with anything. But I was buying gems to support the game, not to buy something I've wished for long.

> >

> >

>

> And most importantly, since they've been trading on this indy company image with their players- ANet and other indy developers tend to do nothing to disabuse people of the notion that they're supporting development of the game they're paying for right that minute by purchasing DLC, prepurchasing via early access, and also in cash shoppes. Otherwise you'd have cheaper, a la carte mount skins so that people got what they wanted when they put their moneys up - not the one-armed bandit slot machine rubbish they've been doing where it's even possible to spend more than the price of the average player outfit on a duplicate skin. When they finally did give a la carte mount skin 'licences' they made those even spendier.

>

> And people buy into this because it's the same mentality as those who buy raffle tickets for a local charity or a church summer festival - they overlook the one-armed bandit aspects of the raffle -something they would never otherwise willingly engage in- and even buy more than one ticket believing they're supporting them even though they know only one ticket will be called as winner.

>

> This type of news would be more tolerable if the company hadn't been going out of it's way to screw players out of their money for the last several years. So much of their gem store business is about NOT giving you what you paid for.

>

> So you get a duplicate mount skin- sell it for gold on the TP? No because gold is still easy enough to get in this game and most skins will be much less popular than others. Chances are better than average it's going to set there for a long time doing nothing because other players also agree that they don't want the damned thing either. They're(Anet) in sole control over the exchange rate of gems to gold so the moment you buy that duplicate ticket it's the equivalent of getting sucked by a local shop into buying something off their shelf which they've known to be a defective product because they've been trying to get rid of it. Surprise, it wasn;t what you needed or wanted and on returning you find you're only being given the option for 'in store credit.' One, you DIDN'T get what you wanted to begin with and two -why, if you didn't get what you wanted should you not get a refund instead of being forced to take something instead that you DON'T want.

>

> And here we come round again to the origin of this dumpster fire - the argument of, 'Well you're doing it to support the continued development of...'

>

> It's a cop out. All you armchair economics majors never have any answer for this save for, 'buyer beware' which is essentially Weasel Speak for, 'AHA! GOTCHA!' No credible answer because even you know these practices are deceptions done to play on people's feelings of good will, their sentimentality, and in the unfortunate cases of many, a propensity/addiction to gambling.

>

> In the art world you go through a focus process with a client. You do thumbnailing and you narrow down what it is they want and what they feel works without making full blown versions at great expense. Yet with mount skins, as with other items only obtainable by randomly acquiring black lion tickets, Anet seems to have just thrown money out the window at their art teams and said here, make full versions of every thumbnail on the board, even the kitten we agreed before hand that nobody will want. Don't worry, we'll recoup the cost by making them buy it, even if they don't want it by making the selections random and only obtainable randomly for the near future. Then later after we've done this we'll allow them to get them selectively at greater expense. Brilliant!

>

> So no. No sympathy here, because this is part of the shady stuff management has rubber stamped on top of siphoning the money off to go nowhere do nothing side projects.

>

> It's one thing for Anet to have been successful before, without the subterfuge, with Guild Wars and and to channel some of that into the creation of Guild Wars 2. Offering something for players to buy and what they see is what they get. Yes, that's the course of honest business. But doing what they've done for the last several years, screwing you first just parting you from your money dishonestly with the gambling aspects of the gem store and THEN squandering all of that on something that probably would have doubled down on more of the same without anything but token at best investment in several of gw2's game modes for years? And we're not talking about at a time when the game was considered 'past it.' We're talking about at a time after the game had just hit its stride- when it was essentially in the prime of its life. To put most of what little isn't siphoned off into the gambling and gem store aspects which do nothing to improve the player experience and then waste the rest?

>

> That is nothing but a kick in the nuts. And after that kick- after the player's doubled over on the ground and retching, it's stomping on them repeatedly while wearing hobnailed boots.

>

> Contrary to what some of you here so smugly believe, laughing at someone for being naive after they've just had this done to them isn't going to work wonders for expanding the markets for this game's few remaining positive aspects. Particularly after they've been caught out and after they had to sack so many people.

>

> As empathy goes that's one thing. Nobody wants someone to lose their livelihood. And the pain and worry that comes with this is something most after the last decade will understand.

>

> But sympathy for how they've gotten into this mess? Sympathy in light of that last decade and how they've taken money out of other people's hands dishonestly? Money that could have and probably should have been spent on worthier people's efforts? If your attitudes are even remotely similar/representative of those behind the curtain at ANet then they deserve every bit of the negativity they're getting from the disaffected parts of their fan base right now.

>

> I'd say shame on them, especially management, but they felt no shame going forward with gambling, and they felt no shame rolling their fellow employees under the bus when the fiddler came for his due. If it's a trying time right now within the halls of ANet it's a trying time because they've not only screwed their players -much worse, they've screwed over their own friends and colleagues, they've cast a pall on the good works they've done and made a lot of bitter people in the process who don't even have the luxury of being publically bitter about the screwing they've just taken if they want to continue to work in their chosen professions.

>

> Mull over that for a while.

 

I'm afraid that's not how Mount Skins work, at all. You can't get duplicates, and you can't sell Mount Skins on the TP.

Perhaps, you are new?

[Zenith.7301]

> @"Ayrilana.1396" said:

> Your investment was on the things that you bought for yourself with those gems.

>

> Otherwise me buying Starbucks every morning equates to investing in that company.

 

An MMO is a completely different product in nature to a coffee. You don't truly own your character or the servers if the company chooses to close the game despite your gem purchases. You are a paying tenant of a virtual world.

[zionophir.6845]

> @"Shortage.5427" said:

> It's pointless my dude, the recent updates on the "Warclaw" mount and that cash-grab pass, is a blatant figure that Anet, is completely derranged from its REAL players. The ones who would sink time and effort into this game. People who would've supported it. But these people left long time ago around 2012-2013. Anet, if you read this, you did this. YOU killed the game. Get a grip with reality.

 

do you mean (on that around 2012) played 1 week and quit the game?

[zionophir.6845]

games are technically a "communication" between the programmer and the player. if the player knows how to play the game optimally, without using glitches/hacks/cheats, and the other players are getting some hard time (even using glitches/hacks/cheats), that means the player knows the "lines of communications" towards the programmer and through the game, he is guiding you to do things, smoothly and easily. it's by grace/favor that you are playing the game wonderfully...

 

it is akin to prophets of the old, or the sages.

[Daishi.6027]

If you couldn’t tell that resources were being diverted that’s kinda on you, I thought it was pretty obvious.

 

That said, GW2 even with your generous support doesn’t make enough in its own. Now is that A-nets fault for not giving players enough of what they want? (Be it skins to entice people to buy, content, or balance?) I don’t think we can make that assertion without evidence. However, a game company usually needs to produce more than just an MMO with lowering profit margins; so I don’t blame them for dipping into other projects like a mobile game that does sell well in Asian countries.

 

I get your dissapointment in that whatever they intended in making was less likely to appeal to the west.

[Bloodstealer.5978]

> @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > @"Bloodstealer.5978" said:

> > > @"Balsa.3951" said:

> > > > @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > > > But that's the thing. Our money wasn't paid to support GW2, it was to support Anet. How they decided to use that money is certainly open for discussion, but at the end of it all, it was (and is!) their choice, whether we agree or not.

> > >

> > > U know that’s not how Anet want ppl think, they like ppl believe spend money in gemshop supports the game. Ppl who pay think of I support the devs can work more on my favorite game.

> > >

> > > Nobody should think she he is entitled but disappointed in anets priorities is understandable

> >

> > What can be more of a priority than ensuring the future of the company by way of new product development.. and that isn't something that happens just at a click of a finger.

> > I am sure we would all love GW2 to be a strong, revenue producer, the be all and end all for ANET, but that is just lala land thinking... without new products there wont be a GW2 or an ANET.. unless you think companies run on shirt button donations.

>

> Hmm I’m not sure gw2 had potential to be nr 2 mmo or at least nr 3 if they would push hard enough.

> I say they should have aimed for be top and for be top u need focus on ur main game.

>

> Also according to u Anet as a company is dead in the water now ? Their side adventure didn’t worked out

 

No idea what your talking about.. where have I ever said ANET is dead in the water, your just making stuff up because you have nothing remotely relevant to counter.. they like almost every other MMO out there face some tough challenges and yeah, NC Soft has seen a downward shift in its revenues across it ageing products, but if you look at the Q4 GW2 appears to be pretty much on par with previous mid expac cycles. The only issue is the extra headcount and costs they are having to absorb while looking into new projects, which it absolutely has to do.. but NC Soft had to make a call to cut costs that it couldn't absorb any longer.. that is business, it does not mean ANET were not committed to GW2 or not focused.

 

Now.. what in the world has being nr2, nr3 or even nr10 got to do with anything.. then again if all you look at is some opinion poll on the internet, give yourself a big pat on the back.. those polls are skewed by how much publications get paid, who turns up to what events etc.. and each poll will likely have a differing list - I prefer to look at the products, how well they do and how long them stay relevant for.. GW2 is almost 7yrs old and still profitable, GW1 even older and still has a pulse.. both products have stood up extremely well within a hugely congested, highly competitive market and with a business model they brought to the MMO space that dared to be different and proved it could work.

Not every MMO has to be a WoW killer to be successful... especially considering the lack of competition WoW had way back when.

 

If your going to make a counter at least make sense is all.

[retiredair.3876]

I am glad you got your entertainment from the game I have gotten little if any from the game mostly frustrations, haven't been able to complete any story line except the first. Keep running to combat or quest that are beyond me.